Press Releases

The fatigue life of highly stressed components in a hydrogen atmosphere has so far only been estimated with large uncertainties. Classical fracture mechanics calculations are often too conservative and yield significantly shorter service lives than occur. Researchers at Fraunhofer IWM have now developed, for the first time, a crack initiation-based prediction model that allows the Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) lifetime under the influence of hydrogen to be calculated on a physically sound basis. This makes it possible to reliably predict the service life of components in hydrogen turbines and engines at an early stage of development, reduce costly testing, and design safety factors more realistically. This is an important step towards safe and environmentally friendly hydrogen operation of turbines.

A new, model-based optimization strategy developed by Fraunhofer IWM enables, for the first time, the targeted design of mechanical surface post-treatments for metal AM components. As a basis, the strength assessment scheme according to the well-established FKM guidelines is used. In the strength assessment, the effects of the post-treatment via shot peening, burnishing or deep rolling can be implemented. Moreover, process parameters can be optimized by a custom simulation of the post treatment and adapted material models. The optimization strategy assists companies that wish to use additively manufactured components in structural applications which require particularly a high fatigue strength.

In the “TERIS” project, the Fraunhofer institutes ICT, IGD, and IWM—led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF—have reached a decisive milestone. The teams of experts aim, for the first time, to generate, analyze, and predict tire wear in the laboratory in a standardized and practical manner. In line with this first milestone, results are now available on reference abrasion, particle analysis, tribological models, AI-based surface analysis, a test bench concept, and methods for accelerated aging and VOC detection. The tire industry, testing services, and environmental agencies will benefit in the future from reliable, rapid laboratory procedures for emissions assessment.

With the MaterialsCommons project, a pan-European federated digital infrastructure for materials research and development is being created for the first time. Coordinated by Prof. Dr. Peter Gumbsch (Fraunhofer IWM/KIT), the project, funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe with 28 million euros, brings together 26 research institutions from 14 countries with over 30 industrial partners, including Bosch, Siemens, ArcelorMittal, Infineon, Voestalpine, and Schaeffler. The goal is to unify Europe's fragmented materials data landscape and accelerate the development of new high-performance materials by a factor of 4.

A new simulation model from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg predicts weak points in forged components caused by incomplete grain formation (recrystallization). Embedded in an efficient digital workflow, this creates a digital forging laboratory that enables material and energy savings in forging processes.

Adding hydrogen to fossil fuels is an important step toward decarbonization of combustion processes in large engines and gas turbines. The materials used in these applications are exposed to extreme temperature changes, mechanical stresses, and hydrogen gas. Depending on its proportion in the fuel and the sensitivity of the materials, hydrogen further reduces fatigue strength. Scientists at Fraunhofer IWM have demonstrated how thermomechanical fatigue under the influence of hydrogen can be determined economically using hollow specimens.

In the research project Cross-Company Material Data and Material Simulation in Production, PMD-X-MAPRO, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, researchers and industry are working to make material data available in a digital and machine-readable format. The goal is to prepare information about material properties and manufacturing data in such a way that it can be automatically used and exchanged along the entire supply chain. In addition to the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE and the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, industry partners are involved: Siemens AG, SHS – Stahl-Holding Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA, tec4U-Solutions GmbH, credativ GmbH, and Deutz AG. The latest results and applications will be presented from April 20 to 24 at the Hannover Messe 2026 trade fair at the Industry 4.0 platform stand (Halle 13, Stand C24).

The director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg and professor of materials mechanics at KIT was named a TMS Fellow on March 18, 2026, at the annual conference of the American TMS – The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society in San Diego. The appointment as a TMS Fellow is the highest award for TMS members and honors the life's work of leading figures in materials science. The honor recognizes Prof. Peter Gumbsch's outstanding scientific achievements and technical contributions to multiscale materials modeling and the understanding of fracture and deformation processes.

Scientists at Fraunhofer IWM have developed and tested a substitution chain for lubricants and seals containing PFAS in a project funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg and a Fraunhofer project. This allows suitable PFAS-free materials solutions to be efficiently identified and evaluated.

In a new research project funded by the BMWE, design guidelines for welds for use in hydrogen technologies are being developed, based on the established recommendations of the International Institute of Welding (IIW). In the future, it should be possible to universally take into account the influence of hydrogen on fatigue strength and thus the service life of components for different applications when dimensioning welds, helping companies to both develop welded components more quickly and to reduce wall thicknesses. Within the project consortium, the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM is responsible for formulating design concepts, materials testing, and digitalization. The project will start in February 2026.