Dipl.-Ing. Lars Ulke-Winter, Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Klaerner and Professor Dr.-Ing. habil. Lothar Kroll published their latest research results "Determining the damping behavior of fiber reinforced composites. A new approach to find mathematical relationships in data sets" in the journal "Composites Structures" (Elsevier, 06/2013, Page 34-39, DOI click here). The aim of this work was the development of a new damping model of fibre reinforced plastic structures. The considered reinforcements consists of layered twill woven textile. Due to this textile structure conventional models such as Adams and Bacon provide insufficient material descriptions. Therefore, an angle depended damping model was introduced which is better adapted to the textile structure. The special feature in this work is the approach of obtaining the damping model. For this purpose methods of artificial intelligence and optimisation were developed, Gene Expression Programming with Free Coefficients (GEP-FC). In this way the measured data are analysed almost automatically and finally expressed by closed mathematical terms. The accuracy of the GEP-FC model is significantly better than the conventional Adams and Bacon model. This approach can be used to study complex material properties in the Cluster of Excellence "MERGE".

On 29 May 2013 it was time again for the Campus and Sports Festival at Chemnitz University. For the first time our team of the Cluster of Excellence “MERGE” started with a Frisbee competition. Question about the cluster had to be solved and afterwards as many as possible cans had to be hit from a stapled pyramid. They, who overturned all cans, won one of the MERGE Frisbees, which were manufactured at the Department of Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology. The response and mood were really good in spite of the changeable weather. With our two slogans “Go for Goal – Let´s MERGE” and “Higher – Lighter – Merger” we have been able to attract many students at our booth. At the end of the festival more than 300 students won a Frisbee and the message of an excellence University in Chemnitz goes around the world...

The Cluster of Excellence "MERGE" has received international man-power. Siddharth Gupta has been participating in the cluster since last week. He is a student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, the oldest technical institution in Asia and among the foremost of institutes of national importance in higher technological education and engineering, and in basic and applied research. He is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in the field of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. Siddharth Gupta will work at the Surface Technology/Functional Materials Group (Prof. Lampke) for 3 months. During his time at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Siddharth is going to investigate the adhesive behaviour of fibre-reinforced thermoplasts with aluminium alloys and the mechanical properties of the resulting hybrid material.

All students, staff members and alumni of the Chemnitz University of Technology are looking forward to funny and creative contests during the 2013 Campus- and Sports Festival. At 1 pm, the official opening will take place at the main stage in front of the canteen, Campus Reichenhainer Strasse. Highlights will be a human table soccer competition, various performances from dancing and music groups and the Cluster of Excellence “MERGE” Frisbee Contest with this year’s theme “Campus Active University 360°”. Players have to solve several questions about the Cluster and afterwards try to hit as many cans as possible from a pyramide. In the evening and night hours after the sports competition the party is getting started on four different floors in the Mensa.