DigiTain

Digitalization for Sustainability

The DigiTain project developed processes, methods, and models for the fully digital product development of more competitive and environmentally friendly electric powertrain architectures. Based on established standards for product development, sustainability, and the circular economy, a sustainability-oriented product development process (SDP) was created and implemented in a PLM system. The focus was on integrating sustainability methods into the early stages of product development and modeling computational process steps for experimental-numerical validation using MBSE.
To efficiently utilize microscale information in complex stress conditions (e.g. crash), a data-driven failure criterion for FRP was developed based on neural networks.
As a case study for the SDP, a recyclable battery housing using FRP design (PP-GF) with over 20% recycled content and experimentally confirmed closed-loop recyclability was developed. To this end, an LCA model for organic sheet metal was developed, property relationships in recycled materials were analyzed, and recycling cascades were experimentally characterized.
A hybrid rotor shaft (steel – FRP) was successfully manufactured with a 35 % weight reduction compared to the reference. A patent application DE 10 2024 127 761.0 was filed for this with ZF Friedrichshafen AG. An analytical design tool was created for preliminary dimensioning under mechanical and thermal loads, and applied.
The results were published at conferences (ECCM21, SAMPE Europe 2024, DFX 2024, Hannover Messe 2025) and form the basis for several follow-up projects, including the DFG-Transregio DEDIGRAD.

Left side of the image is the “SDP”, along with its key associated tasks. On the right side of the image is the rotor shaft, which has been developed, is pending a patent, and is manufactured using a CFP-metal composite (hybrid) construction. — Fig. 01: ILK focus areas and project results.

List of project partners with logos. — Fig. 02: DigiTain Project Consortium.

Period

01.01.2023–31.03.2026

Project partners

Funding

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and European Union (EU): Funding line 'Neue, innovative Produkte als Schlüssel für Fahrzeuge und Mobilität der Zukunft'
Fundingcode: 19S22006N