LignoBraid

Bio-based lightweight hollow profiles with braided wooden strips; production of veneer strips

Duration	03/2021 - 02/2024
Funded by	BMEL | FNR
Funding code	2220HV059B
Contact	Dipl.-Ing. Carolin Siegel Dipl.-Ing. Christian Korn
Keywords	veneer, sustainability, lightweight construction, braiding technology

Lightweight construction is one of the key technologies for a resource-efficient and future-oriented economy. Particularly in the field of mobility and transportation, significant energy and therefore CO₂ savings can be achieved through high levels of lightweight construction. The use of natural materials such as wood can both reduce the consumption of fossil raw materials and bind CO₂ in the material.

Against this background, scientists at the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology and the Chair of Wood Technology and Fiber Materials Technology have set themselves the goal of developing a new type of process chain for the production of hollow profiles made of wood-based materials. The LignoBraid project, which was launched on March 1, 2021 as part of the BMEL's Charter for Wood 2.0, starts with the preparation of the material. The TU Dresden team aims to preserve the natural cohesion of wood as a raw material while still enabling high-quality technical use. To this end, commercially available veneers from regionally available woods are to be processed into continuous veneer strips. These veneer strips will then be used for the first time in an automated braiding process to produce preforms that are suitable for the stresses involved. These can then be consolidated into thin-walled hollow structures by infusion with bio-based plastics.

The resulting wood composite hollow profiles significantly expand the lightweight construction potential of wood-based materials thanks to their adjustable range of geometric and mechanical properties. The aim is to achieve the best possible compromise between ecological, economic and technical requirements through the use of regionally available biogenic raw materials, low-waste production of the veneer strips and the use of lightweight yet highly resilient woods. The aim is to enable the economical series production of wood composite hollow profiles with different geometries. This will open up new application possibilities for technical wood products and make a contribution to research into renewable raw materials.

Funding information