Nov 23, 2021
WAK Prize 2021 for a diploma thesis at the ILK
Presentation of the award certificate to Dipl.-Ing. Levin Schilling (in the middle) by WAK member Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Altstädt (right) and the representative of the donor company Oechsler Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Weißkopf (left)
An award for the special focus on sustainability in lightweight engineering
The Scientific Working Group of University Professors of Plastics Engineering (WAK) annually awards prizes to the best scientific papers in the field of of plastics technology. This year, Dipl.-Ing. Levin Schilling was honoured with an award for his thesis at the Institute for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology (ILK). For his diploma thesis "Integration of the LCA into the development process of an engine intermediate case", he was awarded the Oechsler Prize for work on methods and approaches for the development and design of components made of plastics.
The WAK award winners 2021 and 2020
Mr. Schilling conceived an extended development process, which from the outset integrates the ecological product requirements in addition to the conventional ones. By demonstrating the far from exhausted potential of early consideration of ecological aspects within the development phase, Mr. Schilling's work makes a significant contribution in the field of neutral lightweight engineering. Furthermore, it can serve as a basis for further research in the area of sustainability-oriented development processes and thus contribute to a more general improvement of the environmental friendliness of products in the future.
Mr Schilling used the established constructive development process according to VDI guideline 2221 as the basis for his research, which is limited to the implementation of classic, i.e. technical and economic, product requirements. Although a life cycle assessment allows the ecological product properties to be quantified and corresponding recommendations for action to be derived for the products, it is usually only carried out on the existing product system due to the high level of system knowledge required. As a result, ecological potentials can usually only be tapped through costly system changes or within the framework of further development cycles. The sustainability-oriented development process (SDP) designed by Mr. Schilling, on the other hand, makes it possible to carry out the ecological decision-making assessments early on, namely already while the product is being designed. An ecological assessment within the product development itself, as proposed by Mr Schilling, is more appropriate to the increasing demands in terms of development duration and costs as well as product complexity and quality than the subsequent life cycle assessment.
Schilling, L., "Integration of the LCA into the development process of an engine intermediate case". (1) Product development: Design development process in accordance with VDI Guideline 2221 with subsequent ecological assessment by means of LCA. (2) Ecological assessment of development decisions within product development: The sustainability-oriented development process (SDP) designed by Dipl.-Ing. Schilling. (3) Application of the SDP in the context of the development of an intermediate engine casing by Rolls-Royce.
Mr Schilling was able to apply the process he had developed as part of the PEP4.0 project ("Development of a highly efficient linked product development process (PEP) for hybrid lightweight structures in the context of Industry 4.0").
(PEP) for hybrid lightweight structures in the context of Industry 4.0") by Professor Dr. Maik Gude and Dr. Sebastian Spitzer. With the project partner Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd. & Co.KG, it was possible to investigate the ecological advantages of using fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites in engine casings compared to the commonly used lightweight metals. It was shown that the use of FRP within aviation is justified from an ecological point of view: the increased degree of lightweight engineering through the use of FRP significantly reduces the resulting emissions of the critical use phase of the highly active component and thus improves the sustainability of the engine structure across the entire life cycle.
The award of the Oechsler Prize 2021 for this work is not only a tribute to Mr Schilling's research in the field of methods and approaches for the development and design of plastic components, but can be interpreted in particular as recognition of their view of sustainability in this field of research.
Contact:
Dipl.-Ing. Levin Schilling, Tel.: +49 177 965 5573,