Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martina Zimmermann is the head of the Chair of Mechanics of Materials and Failure Analysis. She joined the TU Dresden in 2012, at the same time as becoming the head of the Department of Materials Characterisation and Testing at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS).

The courses and lectures offered by the department provide an insight into the relationships between material structure and component properties from a range of different angles with an emphasis on metallic construction materials. The department’s lectures address the subjects of material fatigue, material reliability and structured failure analysis.

The department’s research centres on structure-property correlations and ranges from classic steel materials, to high-temperature materials, joined structures, composites and modern biomaterials. The department also specialises in researching the vibration resistance of materials and components beyond the classic assessment thresholds and in investigating underlying damage mechanisms.