Infrastructure
Tribometry & Tribosensorics
Our core competences in tribometry and tribosensor technology include the conceptualisation, definition and implementation of tribological experiments with metallic, ceramic and/or polymer materials – with coated and/or structured surfaces if required – the characterisation and analysis of tribosystem components, and the data evaluation and interpretation of the targeted results. Furthermore, they also cover the design, development and building of special sensor technology for innovative methods of measuring selected tribological parameters and the building of special devices (e.g. tribometers) for determining friction, wear and lubricant behaviour.
Our range of services encompasses model experiments (in accordance with standards if required), tests with components and assemblies, as well as system tests with different load spectra. For this purpose, more than 30 different test systems are available, differing in level of load (mN to kN), movement (sliding, rolling, etc.), temperature (-40°C to 1,000°C), environmental media (air, vacuum, helium, N2, corrosive media) and more. A further focal point of our range of services is the tribologically oriented development of sensors and measuring methods.
Chemical Analytics
Describing the chemical and physical interactions between surfaces and the lubricant in the contact zone is of particular significance in tribology. Classic coefficients of lubricants, such as viscosity and chemical composition, are determined along with coefficients for client-specific systems and coefficients relevant to industry standards. To this end, innovative sensor systems and sensor-based measuring methods are developed as needed.
Supported by high-end analytical devices, the insights gained on chemical and physical processes in tribological contact ranges from the macro to the molecular level. Similarly, methods for characterising lubricants, tailored to the respective application, are constantly being developed and enhanced in cooperation with the industry and academic partners.
Our range of services builds not only on our personnel resources, with expertise in the areas of organic and analytical chemistry, synthesis, electro and surface chemistry as well as specialist knowledge on structure elucidation and the interpretation of complex mechanochemical processes, but also on a wide range of equipment for chemical and physical analysis and characterisation.
Material & Surface Characterisation
Our core competences in materials and surface analytics encompass the determination of tribologically relevant surface properties as well as the consequential effects of the tribological stress in the material area below the tribological contact. The available analytical and characterisation methods range from mechanical and materials-oriented investigations of materials and their surfaces to chemical analytics and topography determination.
Our range of services comprises, on the one hand, materialography and damage analytics, the determination of wear and wear mechanisms, e.g. for tribological contacts subject to a high tribological load in corrosive or minerally abrasive environments, as well as the tribological evaluation of functional materials, and on the other hand, selected technological processes for the manufacture and application of friction-reducing and/or wear-resistant coatings on surfaces.
Numerical Simulation, Data Analysis & Software Development
Our range of services consists of the multi-scale modelling and simulation of tribological processes and systems in particular, as well as the formulation of mathematical models and the numerical implementation thereof. Special emphasis is placed on the processing, visualisation and analysis of large volumes of data using methods of modern data science (with methods from statistics, machine learning and artificial intelligence) as well as the development and software implementation of corresponding algorithms. The development of specialised software for controlling experiments, capturing measurement data and data analysis uses modern high-performance computer hardware and scientific computing software.
