Scale-Bridging Designed Materials: From Fundamentals to Systems (Topic 4)

The general focus is on the development of integrated approaches to tailor the property profiles of materials used in complex multi-materials systems. In very close cooperation between the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon and KIT, generic methods and material for medium and large-scale applications in different fields like medical engineering, automotive, aircraft and hydrogen storage will be developed.

To go beyond the state of the art, not only individual materials with their individual property portfolio will be researched, but the whole complex system will also be investigated comprehensively. This is why they are denoted as scale bridging designed materials.

The research of the Materials and Processes Group (IAM-WK) focuses on the material- and process development for lightweight applications. The originally for polymer melt processing developed Fused Filament Fabrication will be adapted as additive manufacturing method for the fabrication of lightweight parts made from Titanium alloys applying the process chain highly filled polymer-metal composite formation – 3D printing – thermal postprocessing and device characterization. It is targeted, that the same new highly filled composites can be employed in Fused Filament Fabrication as well as in metal injection molding. In close cooperation with IAM-WBM and Hereon material and process characteristics will be modelled prior to material and process development enabling correlations between materials, process and final device and systems properties following the digital twin approach.

Bioinspired form optimization and functionalization of surfaces are part of an integrative approach for complex multi-material systems with desired material properties. The Biomechanics group (Bethge, IAM-WBM) is adapting several computer-based optimization methods to 3D additive manufacturing, concerning anisotropy of material deposition by the manufacturing process and internal alignment of framework-filled structures, collaborating with IAM-WK. External shape optimization has been verified in numerous examples regarding components with lifetime and load capability extension as well as internal optimization regarding strong and lightweight components. A better understanding of vortex formation in solids as an internal material optimization also below mechanically loaded surfaces by use of thinking tools is essential for optimizing tribological effects and is part of a collaboration with IAM-CMS.