Metallic construction materials

High operating temperatures play an important role in many areas of application for metallic materials. Outstanding examples include energy technology, aerospace, the glass industry and medical device technology. Very often, the stress conditions are very complex, i.e. in addition to high operating temperatures, corrosive conditions also influence the material behaviour.

Work in the field of metallic high-temperature materials includes development projects with material manufacturers as well as a wide range of investigations into material behaviour at very high temperatures. The determination of mechanical high-temperature properties in hot tensile or creep tests serve as a basis for material selection and for simulating component behaviour under operating conditions.

Many components are subject to high tribological stresses during use. Reducing friction and wear during use enables considerable savings in energy and material consumption. The aim of the work in this field is to utilise new materials and/or coatings for components subject to wear and to evaluate their potential for given applications. To this end, the materials or components are first subjected to defined loads in wear tests and then comprehensively analysed. The research interest lies in particular in the characterisation of the changes in phase composition and mechanical properties caused by the wear stress.

In order to ensure a comprehensive and high-quality characterisation of the materials, a variety of investigation methods are used. A key focus is on analysing the relationships between the structure, microstructure and properties of the materials. In addition to a wide range of metallographic preparation methods, light and scanning electron microscopy are available for this purpose, as are classic methods for testing mechanical material properties. X-ray methods for structural characterisation and non-destructive material testing methods are also available for extensive research work as well as for damage analyses and to support medium-sized companies in solving material technology problems.