Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 39 »PT-PIESA«
| Coordinating university: | Technische Universität Chemnitz |
| Participating universities: | Technische Universität Dresden Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg |
| Coordinator of the CRC/TR: | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Welf-Guntram Drossel |
| Coordinator Dresden: | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Niels Modler |
| Coordinator Erlangen: | Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Carolin Körner |
| Participating research institutions: | Fraunhofer Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik IWU Chemnitz Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS Dresden Bayerisches Laserzentrum GmbH Erlangen |
In the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio “Production Technologies for light metal and fiber reinforced composite based components with integrated PIEzoceramic Sensors and Actuators“ – short: „PT-PIESA“ – scientific fundamentals for an economic production of active structural components are worked out.
The application potential of these active systems is enormous:
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Two-dimensional lightweight components with integrated sensors and actuators actively reduce their noise emission. Thus, the usage of heavy insulating material in the car body in automobile engineering becomes redundant.
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Integrated sensors and actuators find application for the health monitoring of safety components or for actively changing the component stiffness in case of crashing. In mechanical engineering numerous applications are conceivable for damping the vibration in order to improve the machining quality and machine dynamics.
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Materially integrated high-power actuators are needed in the automation technology for pumps, valves and regulatory elements.
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In medical technology e.g. intelligent prostheses can be produced by means of integrated sensors and actuators.
The development of new production technologies joining the process chains for manufacturing mechanical components and sensor-actuator modules is essential for the success of these product innovations as an inexpensive serial production of active components can be facilitated for the first time. The CRC/Transregio “PT-PIESA“ makes it its business by a national network of Germany's most competent regions of each subject.
Project partners are Chemnitz and Dresden University of Technology, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU Chemnitz/Dresden, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS Dresden as well as the Bavarian Laser Center Erlangen. The German Research Association (DFG) funds the twelve subprojects with five million Euro in the first funding term from 2006 to 2010.
The results of the basic research of the transregional Collaborative Research Center that started on July 1 2006 are destined to be integrated in other research and innovation projects, such as the innovation cluster "Mechatronic Mechanical Engineering" of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. By this interdisciplinary relation between science and economy, a fundamental knowledge for innovative products is created enabling the local industry to continue competing internationally.
