Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM
Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

Brittle Materials: Assessment, Lifetime, Damage Analyses

© Fraunhofer IWM
Characterization of a SiC wafer
© Fraunhofer IWM
Damage caused to an automobile windshield

We analyze and characterize damage and material failure in glasses, ceramics and semiconductors. In doing so, we identify weak points in the material or (glass) composite. By looking for relevant stresses along the entire process chain as far as damages during use, we can identify critical manufacturing steps and recommend effective measures to avoid the causes of material failure.

With our results, we provide solutions for new processes and products as well as well-founded assessments of economic efficiency and feasibility in industrial applications. We ultimately ensure the safety of both manufacturers and users in the production, processing and use of glass and glass components.

Services | Expertise

  • Identification of weak points in brittle materials
  • Lifetime prediction
  • Proof test
  • Isolation of causes for material failure

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Application examples

  • Identification and analysis of weak points in components across a wide range of technical fields
    • Architecture
    • Motor vehicles
    • Optics
    • Microsystems engineering
    • Solar technology
    • Aviation and space
  • Tests on single panes, commercial glass, solar wafers, solar cells, glass ceramics, quartz glass, float glass, laminated safety glass, tempered safety glass, TVG, SiC
  • Technical glasses
  • Damage analyses of glass and silicon

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Facilities | Measurement capabilities

  • Microanalytics
  • Light and electron microscopic SEM
  • TEM
  • Interferometry
  • Polaroscopy
  • Stress analyses (thermal, mechanical)
  • Lifetime

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Publications

  • Hartmann, P.; Kleer, G.; Rist, T.; ZERODUR®: new stress corrosion data improve strength fatigue prediction; Proc. of International Society for Optics and Photonics SPIE 9573, Optomechanical Engineering 2015; Hatheway, A. E. (Ed.); SPIE, Bellingham WA, USA (2015) 957304 1-12 Link

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