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

Dynamic tests, assessments and improvements

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Crash Dynamics

Modern CAE-assisted developments require characteristic material parameters that correspond to specific load situations in order to produce designs and assess safety. Crash-relevant material values related to the strain rate or load speed are also needed to determine vehicle crash safety or accident-related impact loads on transportation containers: we determine the values for different materials and joins via high-speed tests that involve high-speed video and infrared cameras as well as optical evaluation processes. Our component crash tests are used to validate numerical simulations and provide conclusive assessments.

What we offer

  • Vehicle safety and misused/crashed lightweight designs: crash-like material characterization and identification of crash parameters as the basis for crash simulation material cards as well as component crash tests for verification and assessment purposes
  • Container safety on impact: impact load tests on samples similar to the component or the components themselves including analysis and assessment
  • Plant safety in the event of an accident/breakdown (fracture dynamics): fracture dynamic material characterization at high crack stress rates for the analysis of thick-walled, cracked structures
  • Optimizing high-speed forming processes: dynamic Nakajima deep drawing tests with detailed optical 3D deformation analyses using high-speed video cameras and ARAMIS in order to determine forming limit diagrams
  • Development of testing methods with which to characterize materials and joins under complex single and multi-axial loads
  • The use of modern high-speed metrology such as high-speed infrared measurements and 3D high-speed video analysis of rapidly changing strain fields
  • Characterization and assessment of lightweight constructions, joins and innovative materials on impact and in crash situations

Fraunhofer IWM video series: Materials deformation and failure behavior

Dr. Michael Luke

Global and local material behavior of fiber reinforced plastics

Topics

 

© Fraunhofer IWM

Deformation and failure of lightweight materials under crash conditions 

 

The focus here is on the characterization of different lightweight materials such as high-strength steels, light metals, foams, FRPs and joints in relation to expansion rate under multi-axial loads from quasi-static to crash-relevant load speed. The investigations are carried out using modern, high-speed testing equipment and high-resolution measuring techniques, and non-contact ...

 

 

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Dynamic component behavior

 

Components can be subject to dynamic loading in the form of a momentary impact either during operation or in the event of an accident. Engineering or power plant components that experience this particular type of abrupt loading include shafts or turbine blades. Crash-like loads are also one of the most important factors in vehicle design. The loading rate that can be realized with existing testing equipment is approx. 100 m/s, the time-to-failure lies in the millisecond to microsecond range...

 

 

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Fracture dynamics

 

A special form of momentary impact can occur when operating technical equipment. So far, safety has been assessed in the same way as static loads, with additional safety factors that account for the dynamic effects. High-speed testing techniques for these particular load situations have been developed while probabilistic, fracture mechanical assessment methods based on the master curve concept have been tested in component trials in order to improve the safety assessment. The results show that ...

 

 

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Crash Dynamics publications

 

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Contributions to newspapers, books and conferences as well as dissertations and project reports...

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