Fraunhofer ISC, Center for High Temperature Materials and Design HTL, Bayreuth
The Fraunhofer-Center HTL designs components made of ceramics, metals or composites using computer simulations. Commercially available FE programs, such as ANSYS and COMSOL, are used for stress and strain calculations. Fraunhofer-Center HTL develops low-stress structures by simulating mechanical and thermal load cases and proposes a component design for prototypes. The component design is in compliance with the guidelines of ceramic-oriented design. Design criteria for 3D printing can also be considered if required.
Finite Element Analyses for Component Design
The simulation of the operational behaviour includes exposure by static temperature or thermal shock/ thermal cycling as well as all types of mechanical loads and combinations of thermal and mechanical loads. Thereby, within the framework of FE analyses, fatigue can be observed and life cycle prognoses can be developed at Fraunhofer-Center HTL. The required material data - if not yet known - is determined by mechanical (see Material testing) and thermal (see ThermoOptical measurement devices) characterization methods. With the component design, anisotropic material properties can also be taken into account. Using finite element analyses, weak points of the component can be detected, and the optimal geometry for the specific component can be identified.
Component Design for Hybrid Components
Ceramic and metallic components can be combined with various joining procedures to use the specific advantages of both material classes (Publication: Joining of Ceramic and Metal parts). Thereby, the different degrees of thermal expansion, as well as the special requirements of load-suitable joining technology, are taken into account by the component design. Using computer tomography, existing components are accurately measured, and the resulting data can be used for the calculation and design of the new component.