Workshop IA-HEV Task 17

Prof. Dr. Arne Wahlen, 9th October 2014

Overview of Lightweight

Design Research Activities at

Swiss Universities

© Audi

Contents

Introduction

Overview Swiss Technical Universities

Research Topics

M.Sc. Materials Science, ETH Zurich

Dr. sc. techn., ETH Zurich

Light Metals Technologies, A-Ranshofen

Alcan Research Center, Neuhausen

Alu Menziken Aerospace, Menziken

Since February 2009: University of

Applied Sciences Northwestern

Switzerland (FHNW)

E-Mail: arne.wahlen@fhnw.ch

Arne Wahlen

Lightweight design is a design philosophy with the aim of

maximum weight reduction.

The reasons for lightweight design are manifold, e.g.

saving of raw materials, reducing costs and CO2 emissions.

Lightweight materials are aluminium alloys, magnesium

alloys, high-strength steels, titanium alloys and fiber

composites.

Overview of Lightweight Design Research

Activities at Swiss Universities

Case Study

Materials Selection for Table Legs

Boundary Conditions

Table with a given table board (length and width)

Table height and weight are fix

Table legs must not bend

Specifications

Table legs must be circular,

light and as slender as

possible

Question

Which material do you choose?

5

Requirements

1) as light as possible

2) as slender as possible

Euler Buckling Modes

6

I: Second moment of inertia

For rods: I=pr4/4

Case Study

Materials Selection for Table Legs

7

Criterion

«Lightweight»

Criterion «Slenderness»

Selection

Case Study

Materials Selection for Table Legs

Table

Material Density Young’s Mod. Material Index

r [g/cm3] E [GPa] M = r/√E

Oak 0.67 13 0.19

Fir 0.58 7.2 0.22

Steel 7.87 210 0.54

Aluminium 2.71 70 0.32

Magnesium 1.74 42 0.27

Titanium 4.51 105 0.44

Composite 1.50 140 0.13

8

Case Study

Materials Selection for Table Legs

Contents

Introduction

Overview Swiss Technical Universities

Research Topics

Swiss Technical Universities

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)

Budget: 1200 Mio. €/year, 18000 students

Ranking: QS 3rd in Eng.

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)

Budget: 660 Mio. €/year, 9000 students

Ranking: QS 10th in Eng.

Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

Diploma in Bachelor of Science

(Technical Universities: Master of Science)

New Master Diploma Degree:

Funded by cantons

(TU: Swiss government)

R&D

Research Focus

Federal Technical

Universitiestop-down

Universities of

Applied Sciences bottom-up

Industry

different time scales

of projects

“Education at ETH Zürich

generally focuses more

on theoretical aspects

than application.”

Source: Wikipedia

Contents

Introduction

Swiss Technical Universities

Research Topics

Research Topics

Swiss Technical Universities

ETH Zurich

Dept. Mechanical & Process Engineering

Biggest Department of ETH Zurich with 30 professors.

ETH Zurich

Dept. Mechanical & Process Engineering

The Institute of Design, Materials and Fabrication (IDMF) focuses

on Engineering Design as a fundamental discipline within Mechanical

Engineering, which includes the development and integration of novel

material systems, design methodology, methods and tools that lead to innovative

technical solutions and their integration with novel fabrication processes. IDMF

will develop new synergies in research and industrial collaboration as well as in

the Engineering Design education.

The Laboratory of Composite Materials and Adaptive Structures develops

material systems with adjustable mechanical properties to realize higher quality

lightweight structures with integrated functionalities. Examples can be found in

the area of deformable aerodynamic structures and active vibration damping in

aircraft and automobile components.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Paolo Ermanni

http://www.structures.ethz.ch/

ETH Zurich

Dept. Mechanical & Process Engineering

The Institute of Mechanical Systems (IMES) is committed to a long-term

sustainable development of our society by delivering cutting-edge and research

in the broad field of mechanics, structures and multifunctional materials. On

many axes of activities we consider systems from the small- to the large-scale,

from basic research to applications using theoretical, computational and

experimental approaches.

Research focuses among other things in the simulation of multi-body systems, in

the characterization of biological tissues, in micro and nanosystem technologies,

in the manipulation of micro particles by optimized fluid structure interaction, and

in material characterization through vibrations and ultrasound. Applied questions

like the curve squealing of rail vehicles, the fatigue of turbine components or

dynamic viscometry are also central.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Jürg Dual

http://www.imes.ethz.ch/

ETH Zurich

Dept. Mechanical & Process Engineering

Nowadays, complex manufacturing systems and -processes are virtually planned

before their realization. The Institute of Virtual Manufacturing deals with the

engineering of virtual systems, which support these planning processes. The

virtual mapping is treated in close dependence on industrial applications. Thus,

knowledge of real-life manufacturing processes, material behavior and control of

methods to evaluate process robustness pose important components of a virtual

planning process. These virtual methods are used in different modelling scales

depending on the needed application. Students are given the possibility to apply

learned engineering methods in the context of industry projects.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Pavel Hora

http://www.ivp.ethz.ch/

ETH Zurich

Dept. Mechanical & Process Engineering

NEWS

At its meeting of 17/18 September 2014, the ETH Board appointed

15 professors at ETH Zurich

Professor Dirk Mohr (*1976), currently Associate Professor at the Ecole

Polytechnique in Paris, France, and Research Affiliate at Massachusetts Institute

of Technology in Cambridge, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of

Computational Modelling of Materials in Manufacturing. Dirk Mohr conducts

research in the field of materials modelling. He develops his own material models

for plastic multiaxial deformation and ductile failure, including under high strain

rates. Dirk Mohr's expertise will complement the current research on materials

modelling in manufacturing processes and strengthen ETH Zurich's position in

this rapidly developing area.

ETH Zurich

Formula Student

Since the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ) was founded in 2006 by

students of ETH Zurich it has produced a prototype to compete in various

«Formula Student» competitions in Europe every year. The association is

financially independent and supported by numerous financial, manufacturing and

parts sponsors as well as institutes of various Swiss universities. AMZ is the only

Swiss team in Formula Student.

The association offers students the opportunity to put their acquired

theoretical knowledge into practice in a highly complex engineering

environment. During this process they gather experience in the fields of

leadership, innovation and quality management, cost analysis, project and

product documentation as well as risk control.

EPF Lausanne

Mechanical Engineering

Laboratory of Applied Mechanics and Reliability Analysis (LMAF)

The research at LMAF is focused on the mechanics of solids and structures with

special emphases on damage and fracture of composites, reliability analysis,

contact mechanics, dynamics and biomechanics.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Ionnis Botsis

http://lmaf.epfl.ch/

EPF Lausanne

Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory of Mechanical Metallurgy (LMM)

Research at the Laboratory of Mechanical Metallurgy addresses the science and

engineering of advanced metallic materials.

Our activities and interests span the entire spectrum from materials processing

to the exploration of links between the microstructure and the properties of

materials. Materials we study are made at least in part of metal and can be

destined for structural or for functional applications.

Our approach is largely but not exclusively experimental and touches upon a

number of subtopics of materials science. These include capillarity, infiltration,

powder densification, phase transformations including solidification, composite

and cellular materials, micromechanics, damage and fracture, dislocational

plasticity and creep, and the physics of conduction.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Mortensen

http://lmm.epfl.ch/

EPF Lausanne

Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory of Composite and Polymer Technology (LTC)

Research topics

Cost and life cycle analysis of composites in transport applications

Evaluation of new polymers or composite processes

Out-of-autoclave processes for aerospace composites

Current projects

Cost and LC analysis of composites in transport applications

Evaluation of novel polymers for automotive applications

…

Contact: Prof. Dr. Véronique Michaud

http://ltc.epfl.ch/

Summary

Swiss Technical Universities

ETH Zurich

• Strong expertise in mechanical engineering and process

simulation

• Research in materials science is more fundamental and

not very industry-related

EPF Lausanne

• Basic coverage of mechanical engineering research

activities

• More industry-related research opportunities in the field of

materials science

Research TopicsSwiss Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS)

UAS Northwestern Switzerland

School of Engineering

Institute of Polymer Engineering (IKT)

Actual Projects

• Thin-Walled Composite Structures with Improved Damping Properties by using

Natural Fibre Composites and Thin Ply Carbon Fibre Technology (TwiCDamp)

• High performance composites with increased plasticity made from discontinuous

carbon fibre tapes with thermoplastic matrix (HICOMPLAST)

• Cost effective reinforcement of fastener Areas in composites (CERFAC EU-FP7)

Contact: Prof. Clemens Dransfeld

http://www.fhnw.ch/technik/ikt

UAS Northwestern Switzerland

School of Engineering

Institute of Product and Production Engineering (IPPE)

Research Areas

• 3D object scanning incl. 3D CAD modelling

• 3D laser micromachining

• FE analyses (mechanical, plastic flow, thermal)

• Mechanical testing of components (static, dynamic)

• Product and production engineering for aero- and space applications

• Rapid prototyping

• Failure and materials analyses

• Casting center

Contact: Prof. Dr. Jürg Küffer

http://www.fhnw.ch/technik/ippe

Zurich UAS

School of Engineering

Institute of Mechanical Systems (IMES)

Group Lightweight Design

Contact: Prof. Dr. Hanfried Hesselbarth

http://www.imes.zhaw.ch/

Institute of Materials and Process Engineering (IMPE)

Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas H. Amrein

http://www.impe.zhaw.ch/

Centre of Product and Production Engineering (ZPP)

Contact: Adrian Burri

http://engineering.zhaw.ch/de/engineering/institute-zentren/zpp.html

UAS Eastern Switzerland

Engineering and Information Technology

Institute of Materials Technology and Plastics Processing (IWK)

The specialist competences of the IWK consist of materials (plastics, metals,

lightweight construction and composite materials), plastics constructions (calculations

and design), lightweight construction (composites, light metals, multi-material

structures, interconnection technology), process technology (process and tool

optimization: injection moulding, resin injection, thermoforming, etc.) and CAE

(simulation of component behaviour and production processes for product, tool and

process design; CAD, FEM).

Contact: Prof. Dr. Markus Henne

http://www.iwk.hsr.ch

Summary

Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

Lightweight Design Activities

• Where?

UAS Northwestern Switzerland, UAS Zurich and UAS

Eastern Switzerland

• Mostly focused in composite materials

Focus on Implementation

• UAS research activities focus more in the implementation

at their industrial partners (so called “applied research

and development”)

Overview of Forms of Collaboration

R&D Guide 2014, Rev. 1 - Overview and

Tips to the Programs related to

Research, Development and Innovation,

53 pages

Price: CHF 145 (= EUR 120)

http://www.luedi-consulting.ch

Thanks for your

attention.