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Chair of Mechanics of Materials and Failure Analysis

One of the core research areas of the Chair of Mechanics of Materials and Failure Analysis is the elucidation of damage mechanisms as a result of cyclic mechanical stress. The focus here is on the characterization of fundamental phenomena, such as the very slow crack growth under stress in the threshold value range and the interaction of the crack front with microstructural characteristic variables, as well as the investigation of the influence of various manufacturing processes on fatigue strength. An extension of the activities in the field of material fatigue to the group of FRP with a view to aviation applications is currently being pursued as part of a successfully acquired ERA-Net: joint project. Ms Zimmermann's Chair has a very well-equipped laboratory for characterizing fatigue behaviour and clarifying the underlying damage mechanisms.

As part of the lecture Material Fatigue and Material Reliability , students learn more about how a material behaves under repeated mechanical stress and which material-physical processes lead to the formation of a crack. They also learn how diverse the influencing factors are when predicting the service life of a cyclically stressed component and how to investigate the fatigue strength of a material under laboratory conditions.

Students who attend the failure analysis lecture learn how to draw initial conclusions about possible causes of damage by carefully analyzing fracture surfaces, among other things. In addition, various material-related causes of damage are presented as key topics, including thermally induced damage, wear damage and the failure of weld seams.

Project and diploma theses give students the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the Chair's current research activities and to actively participate in them.