Research Objectives
The research objective of the planned CRC/TR is the development of manufacturing technologies for active structural components. These are characterised by the direct substantial integration of sensor-actuator-materials in a lightweight engineering material. The hitherto disconnected process chains of the component manufacturing and the manufacturing of applicable sensory or actuatory effective modules are to fuse. The substantial integration of the transformer material piezoceramics is immediately effected in the process of the component manufacturing (see picture).
Thereby, high-volume manufacturing technologies for active structural components develop that are a significant precondition for the introduction of adaptronic components to the industrial application.
Adaptronic components use the integrated sensors and actuators in combination with an adapted control and regulatory electronic to adapt their structural dynamical characteristics to the changes in loads taking effect on them. Thereby, the permanent design conflict in mechanical structures between geometry and loads on the one hand, and low weight and high structure damping on the other, can be reduced in such a dimension that cannot be accomplished with only a structural and substantial lightweight construction. Nowadays, the problem of two-dimensional lightweight construction structures can especially be found in the susceptibility to structure vibration and the noise emission caused by the reduced surface mass. In mechanical engineering the structure vibrations reduce the reachable dynamics and therefore, the productivity through the reduction of the machining quality, vibrating vehicle components reduce the comfort and passive additional measures increase the fuel consumption. Extreme noise pollution through an increased noise emission is a general environmental problem of growing importance.
The profit and the very high application potential of adaptronics is an undoubted fact. The technical feasibility of the system approach has frequently been proven in national and international research projects. The conversion into products especially fails due to unavailable manufacturing technologies having the potential of a high-volume production. This problem holding a high innovation potential represents the research object of the CRC/TR.
