One of the research fields at the Professorship MP is the development of new methods for the design of compliant mechanisms. The continuum-based approaches employed involve formal optimization techniques to synthesize mechanical systems whose function relies on the deformation of elastic areas.

A new method for the topology optimization of selective compliant mechanisms was developed. The formulation of the optimization problem allows to design a compliant mechanism in such a way that it responds to external forces with a predefined, desired kinematics in a load-independent manner. This method has been extended by Ms. Stephanie Kirmse by incremental linearization of the optimization problem, which allows the application of more efficient and stable linear optimization algorithms.

The result of this research has now been published in the renowned journal Mechanism and Machine Theory. In the publication, the novel synthesis method is presented, demonstrated by several numerical examples and eventually verified experimentally. For this purpose, a prototype of one of the presented shape-adaptive examples (see picture) was produced through 3D printing and successfully benchmarked with the numerical results.

The paper is freely available until 29.01.2021 via the following link:

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1cDW2,28z4NJAI

Dr.-Ing. Sven Hauschild is leaving the TU Chemnitz after a total of 12 years of affiliation to face new challenges in the economy.

From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Hauschild studied in the Microtechnology/Mechatronics program at the TUC. During this time he was engaged as a research student at the Chair of Machine Elements and was appointed as a research assistant at the end of 2013. His research in the field of fretting corrosion culminated in 2019 in his dissertation on „Frictionally stressed steel contacts – design and evaluation using system-specific fretting corrosion factors“.

For four years, he was head of the „Competence Center Shaft-Hub-Connection“ at the Chair of Machine Elements.

The entire professorship thanks him for his achievements and wishes him all the best and continued professional success in his new (and old) home town of Görlitz.

The professorship of Machine Elements and Product Development wishes all students a good start to the lecture period. Despite the current restrictions and difficulties, do not lose sight of your goals in your studies.

In particular, we would like to wish all first-year students a good start to their new phase of life. Stay curious and motivated to master the desired course of study.

We are pleased to congratulate our former colleague Mr. Reiß for successfully defending his doctoral thesis.
In his dissertation on the subject of „Model test methods for determining real static friction values of joined machine elements“ he dealt with the transferability of static friction values determined in laboratory test methods with simple model samples to real applications. A methodical procedure was developed to ensure the transferability of the results.
We wish Mr. Reiß all the best for his future career!

Growing ecological and economic pressure leads to ever higher and more complex stresses in the development of plain bearings. The research at the institute is therefore primarily concerned with the investigation and development of alternative sliding materials and the influence of geometric deviations. The main focus of the investigations is the wear behavior under the most varied operating conditions (particles, mixed friction, hydrodynamics).

The permissible loads of selected WNV (tapered and cylindrical interference fit as well as feather key, knurled, polygonal joints, etc.) have been investigated primarily at IKAT for decades in the area of fatigue, fatigue and fatigue strength. The behavior under individual loads (bending, torsion) as well as combined dynamic loads is analysed.

In contact with various components, deformations in connection with the prevailing joint pressure initiate the damage process of friction fatigue (friction corrosion). Current research activities at the institute focus on basic research on the damage phenomenon of friction corrosion and pursue the objective of developing an impact-compliant calculation method.

While conventional mechanisms owe their deformability to the sliding or rolling interfaces in the joints, flexible mechanisms fulfill their function through elastic stretches in places that are deliberately designed to be flexible during design. This functional principle enables novel, shape-adaptive structures, which can be used, for example, in softrobotics or in variable-shape wings. The professorship focuses its research on optimization-based synthesis methods.

The strength tests focus on the tooth root load-bearing capacity of worm gear units. The challenge to numerical imaging lies in the complex geometry and the special material bronze.

The coefficient of static friction (also: coefficient of friction or coefficient of friction) is to be understood as a system variable with a multitude of influencing parameters. In order to use existing potentials in friction-locking connections (e.g. screw, flange, press-fit connections), an experimental investigation is indispensable. With the help of standardized test methods on model samples, a wide variety of tribological configurations are examined at the research centre with regard to their transmission behavior. A major field of research is the synthesis of new design/selection tools for friction-enhancing measures (e.g. micro/laser structures, hard particles, coatings) for static and dynamic load cases.