Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

Digitalization: The value-added use of materials data

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© Fraunhofer IWM, Grafik: Gebhard|Uhl, Freiburg

Programmable Materials

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© Fraunhofer IWM, Grafik: Gebhard|Uhl, Freiburg

Whether you are in business or a public institution, we address your materials related research and development concerns in application-oriented projects – from damage analysis to process development to materials innovations.

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We realize solutions for the optimized use of material properties to improve the reliability, life expectancy and safety of components and develop new materials as well as resource-efficient manufacturing processes.

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Our research concerning material changes in processes and components enables us to develop material models, characterizations and simulation methodologies for our clients.

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Sustainable solutions for the optimized use of material properties and new material functions

 

The Fraunhofer IWM is a research and development partner for industry and public contracting bodies concerning the topics of component and systems reliability, safety, durability and functionality. The Fraunhofer IWM’s »mechanics of materials« approach is used to identify weaknesses and defects in materials and components, determine their causes and develop solutions that lead to the safer use of components as well as the development of functional materials and resource efficient manufacturing processes.

Contact Us and together we'll find a customized solution for the challenges you face.

Range of services at the Fraunhofer IWM

 

  • Solutions to avoid and control defects, crack formation, deformation, fracture, failure, wear and fatigue in materials and components when taxed with mechanical, thermal, chemical or electrical loads
  • Material characterization, component testing, damage analyses, failure diagnosis and microstructural analysis
  • Materials modeling, process and component simulation on the atomic, microscopic and/or macroscopic scale
  • Surface layer assessment, coatings, tribology, functionalization, bio-surface and interfacial analysis
  • Process and material development

Visit the Fraunhofer IWM Business Unit page that best fits your endeavor. Not sure where to begin? Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help you find the right place to start.

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Digitalization at the Fraunhofer IWM

 

© Fraunhofer IWM

Workflows, data spaces, digital representations

The focus of the Fraunhofer IWM’s work revolves around materials information and materials data. Via the digitalization of materials, we achieve important contributions regarding the inclusion of processing materials into digitally consistent and connected value chains.

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Understanding and influencing the effects and uses of hydrogen on materials

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Latest Fraunhofer IWM research news and reports

 

© Jochen Kubik, MPA

11/10/2024 | News

Dr Silke Sommer receives Carl von Bach medal

Dr. Silke Sommer, Business Unit Manager for Component Safety and Lightweight Design at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg, is the first woman to be honored with the prestigious Carl von Bach medal. This award recognizes her pioneering contributions to research in materials mechanics.

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© Fraunhofer IWM, Graphic: Gebhard|Uhl

07/18/2024 | Press Release

New Fraunhofer Flagship Project

 Since January 2024, six Fraunhofer Institutes have been researching how sustainable and resilient supplies can be maintained and secured. The four-year interdisciplinary project aims to create the information basis for preserving materials and components in the highest possible quality and feeding them into the cycle.

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12/07/2023 | Press Release

Making extremely thin lubricating films predictable

Prof. Michael Moseler and Dr. Kerstin Falk from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg have succeeded in clarifying the mechanisms of boundary lubrication and making them predictable. This opens a path to new design possibilities for high-performance tribosystems. They present their groundbreaking approach in a renowned scientific journal.

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10/04/2023 | Research News

Using deep learning to classify steel materials objectively

Rolling bearings are installed wherever something is in rotation. The wide range of applications extends from large wind turbines to small electric toothbrushes. These bearings, which consist of steel components, must be carefully selected and tested with regard to their quality and the application in question. The grain size has a crucial effect on the mechanical properties of the steel. Up to now, the size of the microscopic crystallites has been assessed by metallographers by way of visual inspection — a subjective and error-prone method. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, in collaboration with Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, have developed a deep learning model that enables objective and automated assessment and determination of the grain size.

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