Research Projects

The SFB/Transregio 277 (TRR 277) aims to comprehensively investigate additive manufacturing (AM) in interdisciplinary basic research as a novel digital manufacturing technology in construction and thus to create the framework conditions for its introduction in the construction industry. Additive manufacturing is fundamentally different from conventional predominantly manual manufacturing technologies in construction, which are designed for low labor costs but not for material-efficient construction. As the construction industry is one of the world's largest emitters of CO2, the highly efficient use of resources in construction is of global societal importance. In this interdisciplinary, cross-location research project, the two universities TU Braunschweig and TU Munich are pursuing a novel manufacturing approach for the construction industry, using additive manufacturing to use material only where it fulfills a function. This will pave the way for a new freedom of design in the construction industry while at the same time enabling the resource-efficient use of building materials.

The work program of TRR 277 focuses on the two research approaches: Material and process combination and end-to-end digitalization in the construction industry.

Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Kloft – Institute of Structural Design, TU Braunschweig
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Dörfler – Digital Fabrication, TU Munich

Involved Project Partners:

• TU Braunschweig: Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics (IMA), Institute of Applied Mechanics (IAM),  Institute of Building Materials, Concrete Construction and Fire Safety (iBMB), Institute for Construction Engineering and Management (IBB), Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF), Institute of Joining and Welding (ifs), Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP), Institute for Particle Technology (iPAT), Institute for computational modeling in civil  engineering (iRIMB), Institute of Steel Structures (IS), Institute of Structural Design (ITE)
• TU Munich: TT Professorship Digital Fabrication (DF), Chair of Architectural Informatics (AI), Chair for Computation in Engineering (CiE), The Chair of Computational Modeling and Simulation (CMS), Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics (fml), Chair of Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design (BT), Chair of Timber Structures and Building Construction (HBB), Chair of Metal Structures (MB), Chair of Structural Analysis (st), Chair of Materials Science and Testing (cbm), Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb), Professur für Technikdidaktik (edu)
• Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI): Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research
• Leibniz University Hannover: Institute for Assembly Technology (match)

To the research project

With the major goal of climate-neutral flying, we are conducting research on potentials and synergies through highly integrated aircraft development in numerous sub-projects at TU Braunschweig, University of Stuttgart, LUH Hannover and DLR Braunschweig in the new transregio SynTrac collaborative research centre. We use interactions of the disciplines aerodynamics, acoustics, flight physics, structural mechanics and thermodynamics through a multidisciplinary, cross-system view of the aircraft development process to develop future highly efficient aircraft through innovative approaches.

Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sabine C. Langer – Institute for Acoustics, TU Braunschweig
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Staudacher – Institute of Aircraft Propulsion Systems, University of Stuttgart

Involved Project Partner:

• TU Braunschweig: Institute for Acoustics (InA), Institute of Jet propulsion and Turbomachinery (IFAS), Institute of Flight Guidance (IFF), Institute of Aircraft Design and Lightweight Structures (IFL), Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics (IMA), Institute of Fluid Mechanics (ISM)
• University of Stuttgart: Institute of  Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics (IAG), Institute of Flight Mechanics and Control (IFR), Institute of Aircraft Design (IFB), Institute of Aircraft Propulsion Systems (ILA), Institute of Structural Mechanics and Dynamics in Aerospace Engineering (ISD), Institute of Aerospace Thermodynamics (ITLR)
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt / German Aerospace Center (DLR): Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology (AS)
• Leibniz University Hannover: Institute of Electric Power Systems (IfES)

To the research project

The CRC 1143 is devoted to the study of a class of magnets where competing (frustrated) interactions prevent the establishment of a simple conventionally ordered state, leading to a plethora of alternative and highly non-trivial behaviors, the most remarkable of which involve either topological phases of matter or proximity to them. The CRC aims to identify, produce, and understand magnetic materials exhibiting these.To do so, it bundles requisite expertise for an integrated research program, comprising intuitive and machine-based searches for new and promising chemical compounds; capabilities of synthesizing and characterizing these compounds as well as studying their physical properties experimentally; and finally modeling and analyzing the experiments in order to synthesize the results into a deeper understanding of the field which we call correlated magnetism.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Wolfram Brening – Institute for Theoretical Physics

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute for Theoretical Physics

The SFB is coordinated by the Technical University of Dresden.

To the research project

In the CRC 298, a fundamentally new approach to implant research is being pursued via the synergistic and integrative collaboration of scientists from a wide range of disciplines. Through the scientific use of safety-relevant concepts from the engineering sciences, smart implant systems will be developed which for the first time enable continuous monitoring for the early detection of implant complications and, accordingly, allow a response to restore the initial status. By developing chemical, biological or physical detection systems, early detection of technical or biological complications will be facilitated and transmitted, either externally to the physician or internally to autonomous implant-associated systems. Following detection, reactions are triggered, which promote technical or biological regeneration. The new detection and reac-tion systems and the co-generated data will converge into an implant lifecycle management system and lead to increased implant and patient safety in the long term. As physician-patient interactions will be crucial for improving implant safety and sustainable treatment success, communication research will provide an innovative contribution to this process.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Henning Menzel – Institute of Technical Chemistry

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute of Technical Chemistry

The SFB is coordinated by the Hannover Medical School.

The CRC 1454 brings together the transdisciplinary expertise from three faculties of the University of Bonn (Medicine, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Philosophy), the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Max-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, and the Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology to collaboratively address the unmet need to understand the mechanisms leading to metaflammation and to translate these findings into novel therapeutic and preventative strategies. The CRC aims to i. study how the triggers associated with a Western lifestyle lead to immune cell programming and cause metaflammation, ii. investigate the crosstalk between reprogrammed immune cells and the inflamed tissues, iii. address the role of specific pathways activated in metaflammation for disease pathogenesis, iv. perform bi-directional translational research between murine and human studies by investigating the discovered mechanisms in patient populations as well as in the longitudinal population ‘Rhineland Study’. 

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Karsten Hiller – Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioformatics

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioformatics

The SFB is coordinated by the University of Bonn.

In the SFB/Transregio 150, turbulent, chemically reacting multiphase flows near walls are systematically in-vestigated in a holistic approach. These near-wall flows underlie a large number of processes in technology and nature. Examples are fires, energy conversion and process engineering processes, where heat, momentum and mass transfer as well as chemical reaction processes are massively influenced by the interaction between fluid and walls. A holistic research approach is required to better understand these complex flows near walls, to create effi-cient mathematical models, and to develop accurate validated numerical simulation tools for process prediction. This approach is characterized by complementary methods in experiment, theory, modeling, and numerical simulation. In order to ensure a coherent research program and close cooperation within the project, leading examples from energy technology and fire safety are used to select, on the one hand, applica-tion scenarios with high social, technological, economic and ecological relevance and, on the other hand, processes and material systems on which the complex transport and reaction processes near the wall are investigated as examples. The leading examples related to energy technology support developments towards greater sustainability, which is one of the most important goals of the 21st century. From a global perspective, the SFB/Transregio 150 is unique in that no other group is working on understanding the mechanisms, deriving models and methods, and testing them on the basis of leading examples in the context of chemically reacting multiphase flows that are influenced by walls, with such breadth and coherent objectives.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Federica Ferraro, Institute for Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute for Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

The SFB is coordinated by the Technische Universität Darmstadt.
https://www.trr150.tu-darmstadt.de/der_sonderforschungsbereich/index.en.jsp

The CRC 871 “Regeneration of Complex Capital Goods” develops the scientific basics for maintaining complex capital goods. The objective is to maintain or to restore as many components as possible of the over-all system, so that functional characteristics of the capital goods will be “regenerated”, or even be improved.In the first funding period of the CRC 871, commercial turbofan jet engines were chosen as an application example, due to their high complexity. The engineering disciplines involved are pushed to their current limits in physical knowledge and design methods for these complex machines. On the one hand, this comprises the computational verification of the functionality of the regenerated components, as well as the determination of the effect of the regeneration on the technical and economical objectives (in terms of specific fuel consumption or life time of the components). On the other hand, there are also regeneration-specific challenges in material sciences and production engineering. The innovative approach of the CRC 871 goes beyond current technical and scientific standards.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Friedrichs, Institute for Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute for Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery

The SFB is coordinated by the Leibniz Universität Hannover.
https://www.sfb871.uni-hannover.de/en/

The objective of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) is the investigation of physical, conceptual, and methodological foundations, based on the Digital Twin’s concept, for an integrated design and operation methodology of future offshore megastructures. Offshore megastructures are slender integral structures of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) with > 20 MW rated power. They are characterized by very large dimensions and interact strongly dynamically with their environment. Due to several reasons, they can significantly contribute to the success of the energy transition. OWTs with > 20 MW rated power generate energy more efficiently and continuously. Moreover – compared to today's wind turbines – they have shorter installation times and more cost-effective logistics and maintenance with respect to their power output. In the long term, the SFB targets at a change of paradigm in the design and operation of structures with complex load-bearing behaviour.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hühne, Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics

The SFB is coordinated by the Leibniz Universität Hannover.
https://www.sfb1463.uni-hannover.de/en/

FOR 2863 addresses the grand challenge of metrology in THz communication measurements systematically, and in four distinct areas: (i) Traceability to the International System of Units (SI), (ii) Characterization of the measurement system itself, (iii) Metrological characterization of the RF components and the propagation channel, (iv) Measurements required for enabling the functionality of THz communications.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Thomas Kürner – Institute of Communications Engineering

Participating Institutes at TU Braunschweig: Institute of Communications Technology, Institute for Computer and Network Engineering, Institute for High Frequency Technology

To the research project

The continued aim of the Research Unit FOR3022 is to gain a profound understanding of an integrated semi-autonomous Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in Fibre Metal Laminates (FML) using guided ultrasonic waves (GUW) taking into account methods of machine learning. This requires an integral view on the physical phenomena of wave propagation even under complex environmental conditions, their interaction with hidden damage, recording of these interactions using microtechnical sensors at the location of event, and a signal processing for full damage diagnostics. The findings will be useful for the consideration and comprehensive understanding of wave propagation in all layered material systems made from components of large impedance differences.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Sinapius – Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics

To the research project

FOR 5200 studies the dedicated strategies employed by newly infecting DNA viruses to disrupt, evade, or exploit nuclear gene expression networks to achieve the desired infection outcome. The central hypothesis is that such viral strategies may vary depending on the specific nuclear environment and state of the host cell.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Melanie Brinkmann – Institute of Genetics

To the research project

The Research Unit FOR 2285 was established in 2015 to investigate debris disks - belts of comets, asteroids, and their dust around mainsequence stars. During the first phase, we carried out analytic and numerical modeling of their collisional and dynamical evolution. In parallel, we conducted impact experiments to simulate collisional processes and performed laboratory studies of the optical properties of dust and its interaction with stellar radiation. Combining the theoretical and laboratory results, we have produced detailed models that explain the observations of individual disk systems and explored statistics over larger samples, giving us new insights into a variety of puzzles including the origin of debris discs and the composition of their dust.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Jürgen Blum – Institute of Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics

Participating Institutes ofTU Braunschweig: Institute of Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics

To the research project

FOR 3004 brings together clinician scientists in the field of antibody-mediated immunological disorders with basic scientists in the field of neurophysiology, molecular neurobiology, and neuroimmunology collectively investigating autoantibody-mediated pathology in the CNS. The aim of the Research Unit is to elucidate the pathophysiology of autoimmune encephalitis in which autoantibodies are directed at synaptic targets.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Michael Hust – Institute of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics

Participating Institutes at TU Braunschweig: Institute of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics

To the research project

The project investigates adaptation and change in individual language-contact situations, i.e. bilingual language processing. It tests whether psycholinguistic adaptation to changes in input may be the seedbed of historical change, as individual adaptation translates into different output, which, in turn, provides changes in input to speakers and language learners.Specifically, the project examines (a) if bilinguals adapt in the same way as native speakers and (b) if adaptation to the L2 spills over into the L1. This project studies adaptation in the context of the dative alternation, examining adaptation to frequency biases in the input and grammatical constraints on adaptation in different groups of monolingual and bilingual native speakers as well as late L2 learners of English.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Holger Hopp – Institute for Englisch Linguistics

Cytochalasans are natural products produced by fungi which have many potent biological activities. They bind strongly to actin and thus significantly effect eukaryotic cells. They also display remarkable bioactivities in prokaryotes and as anti-viral compounds where actin cannot be the target. They inhibit protein synthesis, sugar transport, plant growth, tumor necrosis factor and angiogenesis and are involved in immunosuppression and virulence and avirulence of fungi towards plants and insects, although most molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are unknown. Cytochalasans are constructed from amino acids and polyketides and they are often oxidatively tailored. Many hundreds of family members are known, but very few systematic investigations of structure activity relationships have been reported because very few cytochalasans are commercially available. The proposed CytoLabs Research Unit aims to address these problems through a systematic and integrated collaborative project between groups with expertise in the discovery, chemical synthesis, bioengineering, cell biology, in vivo and in vitro biochemistry, in planta and ecological bioactivity of cytochalasans. It aims to be able to apply modern synthetic chemistry (Kalesse, Klahn) and synthetic biology (Cox) to rapidly create known and new cytochalasans.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Klemens Rottner – Zoological Institute Molecular Cell Biology

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures are an indispensable part of our lives, as our mobility, the industrial performance and the functionality of modern society in general directly depend on the reliability and availability of these structures. Hence, cost-efficient preservation of the integrity of the RC infrastructure over the complete service life is of utmost importance, considering in particular, that modern RC structures have to meet increasing demands with regard to performance. Higher (traffic) loads, longer service life and the use of new materials necessitate a reliable service life prediction method embedded in the framework of a sophisticated management tool. The aim of this project is to develop a novel method for the assessment of the safety and durability of RC structures. The method is based on the application of ultrasonic coda wave interferometry (CWI) to RC structures.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Roland Wüchner, Institute of Structural Analysis

The proposed research group analyzes current urban expansion strategies comprehensively for the first time against the background of the currently changing social and planning ideals, economic requirements and individual housing preferences in interaction with the spatial-material realities. The overarching question is how "in times of reurbanization", by which actors and at which locations urban expansion is being promoted in Germany, how the tension between current models, housing desires and practical planning constraints is being dealt with, and which demands can be implemented and why. To this end, the perspectives of urban and regional planning, open space and landscape planning, and spatial social sciences are linked in an innovative way, and all spatial levels from the plot or household to the urban region are considered. The focus is on the future of housing and small-scale coexistence, which is considered in interaction with working, recreation and transport.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Henriette Bertram, Institute for Building Climatology and Energy of Architecture

CircularLIB is a training group on the circular production and usage of lithium-ion batteries. The three universities, TU Braunschweig, TU Clausthal and the Leibnitz University of Hannover together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST cooperate in this program.

Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arno Kwade, Institute of Biochemical Engineering

https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/en/circularlib

The fundamental goal of the research programme is the development of scientific approaches to describe and to evaluate the evolution of properties and quality of buildings and infrastructures with respect to physical and chemical induced degradation. The multi-coupled pro cesses are described by modeling equations on different spatial and temporal scales based on the theory of continuum mechanics and the theory of porous media. The developed models will serve as a basis for prognoses of the development of building materials and structures by means of advanced simulations validated by experimental data. The multi-scale models to be developed describe the different phenomena of aging as a coupled process, typically requiring a direct coupling of the individual processes in space and time, in order to appropriately the interaction of processes and to integrate all information for an evaluation of the quality of buildings. In an extension of the current approaches on the macroscopical scale, the mechanisms of transport as well as physical and chemical damage shall be investigated experimentally and shall be modelled on different scales of materials and buildings.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Manfred Krafczyk – Institute for computational modeling in civil  engineering

Participating Institutes of TU Braunschweig: Institute for computational modeling in civil  engineering, Institute of Structural Analysis, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Institute of Building Materials, Concrete Construction and Fire Safety, Institute for Acoustics, Institute of Steel Structures

To the research project

Severe illness caused by viral pathogens constitutes a constant threat to the human society, either as acute epidemics with dramatic consequences or as chronic viral infections in individuals with an increased susceptibility, e.g., due to a compromised immune system. The development of efficient antiviral intervention strategies can be reduced to two steps: 1) a profound understanding of an essential process within the viral life cycle and 2) the capitalization on this knowledge to devise novel antiviral strategies. Recent virology research has revealed the urgent need to extend our understanding to the mechanistic level, i.e., how viral proteins and protein complexes exert their functions within the host cell.

We therefore propose a cross-disciplinary research training group with three key aims:

1. To instruct a new generation of scientists in how to address future challenges in virology research at the interface between virology and structural biology by applying cross-disciplinary, multi-resolution techniques.
2. To further develop integrative methods that bridge different resolution scales in virology.
3. To apply these interdisciplinary approaches to challenging virological questions that pave the way for the development of novel antiviral intervention strategies

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Melanie Brinkmann – Institute of Genetics

nalyses of the development of science and technology have long been dominated by the idea that the creation of new knowledge is essentially to be equated with the formulation and improvement of theories within academic disciplines. The focus was on theory dynamics. More recent approaches, however, emphasize how the production of knowledge by experiments can have an institutional life of its own, in particular that empirical science is organized in experimental systems. This stresses the importance of the material conditions for the creation of the new, such as workshops, laboratories and research and development departments. Science and Technology Studies have explored the social construction of technology, knowledge, and science and their situatedness in power relations. They placed the co-production of social and scientific/technical order and an understanding of science as practice at the centre of the analysis. The debate about transformations in science and technology is ongoing. While the oftentimes limited perspectives of current approaches may seem plausible by themselves, they do not do justice to the complexity of the development as a whole. The GRK takes this observation as a starting point to develop a comprehensive view of the dynamics of science and technology.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Prof. Dr. Cécile Stehrenberger, Institute of History

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Efforts to enhance the disaster resilience of European societies is a top priority. In this context, the EU-funded DIRECTED project will foster communication, knowledge sharing and interoperability between different actors to help mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events. It will use a bottom-up, value-driven co-development approach to create new governance and risk management strategies. The establishment of a cloud platform called DATA-FABRIC will enable secure sharing of structured and unstructured data, while four Real World Labs will address topical problems of multi-hazard risk management and climate change adaptation. The overall goal of the project is to design and test new frameworks.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Max Steinhausen, Leichtweiß-Institut für Wasserbau – HYDRIV

Project duration: 1 October 2022 - 30 September 2026

Project partner institutions: Potsdam-Institut fur Klimafolgenforschung ev – Germany, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet – Denmark, Gecosistema srl – Italy, University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork – Ireland, Region Hovedstaden – Denmark, Agenzia Regionale per la Sicurezza Territoriale e la Protezione Civile – Italy, Genillard & Co gmbh – Germany, Internationales Institut fuer Angewandte Systemanalyse – Austria, Erftverband – Germany, Zala Kulonleges Mentok es Onkentes Tuzolto Egyesulet – Hungary, Agenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione, l'Ambiente e l'Energia dell'Emilia-Romagna – Italy, Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches Geoforschungszentrum gfz - Germany, 52 North Spatial Information Research gmbh - Germany, Sei Oxford Office ltd – United Kingdom, Oasis Hub ltd. – United Kingdom, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich – Switzerland

To the project's web site

Floating offshore wind has tremendous potential to play an essential role in achieving the European Commission's ambitious goals for a climate-neutral energy transition. However, expanding the floating offshore wind capacity poses a significant challenge to protecting and preserving biodiversity in the EU sea basins. The EU-funded INF4INiTY project aims to develop critical technologies for future offshore wind farms that balance human needs for clean energy with the imperative to minimise negative environmental and social impacts. The project focuses on a nature-inclusive design for gravity anchors and their associated scour protection system, as well as an innovative primary artificial reef structure combined with the floating structure of a floating offshore wind turbine.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Christian Windt, Leichtweiß-Institut für Wasserbau – HYKU

Project duration: 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027

Project partner institutions: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet Hannover - Germany, Wikki Gesellschaft fur Numerische Kontinuumsmechanik mbh - Germany, Gicon-Grossmann Ingenieur Consult gmbh - Germany, Instytut Budownictwa Wodnego Polskiej Akademii Nauk - Poland, BM Sumer Muhendislik Danismanlik Egitim Arastirma Gelistirme Sanayi Veticaret Limited Sirketi - Türkiye, Niras as - Denmark, Aquatera Atlantico sl - Spain, Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta s Coop - Spain, Politecnico di Torino - Italy, Universiteit Gent - Belgium, Sintef Ocean as - Norway, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - Denmark

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The field of Mixed-Integer Optimal Control (MIOC) is growing, but it still faces unanswered questions due to its complexity and inefficiencies. The ERC-funded SCARCE project aims to enhance optimal control and decision-making for dynamic nonlinear processes occurring on network structures. It delves into complex themes such as decomposition, relaxation, approximation, homogenisation, limiting processes, and weak topologies. Its goal is to discover efficient methods for estimating direct costs, developing nonlinear solvers, and creating decision policies capable of handling uncertainty in critical control tasks with societal impact. SCARCE aims to introduce new theories, develop numerical approximation methods, implement algorithms in software, and conduct proof-of-concept studies. The applications of this research extend to various fields, including energy networks, logistics, disease spreading dynamics, and biomedicine.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Christian Kirches, Institut für mathematische Optimierung

Project duration: 1 July 2023 - 30 June 2028

Project partner institutions: single institution grant

Further information on the project

Many Earth system processes involving multi-physics, multi-phase conditions extend over several orders of magnitude in length- and timescales. Engineering science, in pursuit of deeper process understanding and solution-oriented design, has used scaling theories to address scale-afflicted, complex processes through experimental work in laboratory environment at reduced scale. The standard scaling approach, the Buckingham π-theorem, is especially deficient when multi-physics and multi-phase processes require the choice of more than a single non-dimensional number, resulting in severe scale effects and typically meaning that accuracies at reduced scale are inadequately quantified. Hence, we choose a demonstrably complex multi-physics, multi-phase process for the investigation of scaling accuracies – the progressive collapsing of residential buildings and the associate debris transport, evolving from extreme flow events from natural hazards, such as flash floods or tsunami.

ANGRYWATERS seeks to achieve a breakthrough in modelling these complex processes by deriving novel scaling laws that will be developed in the framework of the Lie group of point scaling transformations. Scaling requirements will be applied to the combined fluid-structure interaction at various scales, developing sophisticated building specimens; here, we employ 3D-printing and appropriately engineered materials to match the scaling requirements. We conduct a comprehensive experimental campaign, using medium- and large-scale facilities, subjecting the specimens to extreme flow conditions in the form of dam-break waves. We consider sub-assemblages, single and multiple buildings, enhancing the understanding of energy losses and debris production upon collapse, elaborating reduced scale accuracies. High-fidelity numerical modelling will complement our experiments, deepening our process understanding; a depth-averaged model with novel debris advection model crucially enhances predictive capabilities.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Nils Goseberg, Leichtweiß-Institut für Wasserbau – HYKU

Project duration: 1 July 2024 - 30 June 2029

Project partner institutions: single institution grant

Further information on the project

To date, the battery market is dominated by lithium-ion (Li-ion) chemistries, as the energy density has more than doubled and their costs have dropped by a factor of at least 10. However, conventional Li-ion batteries (LIB) are reaching their performance limits in terms of energy density and facing safety issues, is required the development and production of new battery generations, such as Solid-State Batteries (SSBs), to create a new industry value chain in Europe towards their commercialization. Consequently, high-energy-density EU-made SSBs will ensure the supply of, among others, the automotive sector. To do so, the development and deployment of new manufacturing technologies, enabling the large-scale production of SSBs, is crucial. Indeed, among the overarching themes to develop and produce sustainable batteries in the future, the BATTERY 2030+ roadmap4 considers manufacturability as a cross-cutting key area. Innovative and scalable manufacturing techniques to produce SSBs will accelerate cost reduction, energy savings, and enhanced safety.

ADVAGEN will develop a new lithium metal (LiM) battery cell technology based on a safe, reliable, and high performing hybrid solid-state electrolyte (LLZO-LPS based), gaining a competitive advantage over the worldwide (mainly Asian) competition. This will sustainably strengthen the EU as a technological and manufacturing leader in batteries as specified in the ERTRAC electrification roadmap and SET-Plan Action Point-7. ADVAGEN consortium contains key EU actors in the battery sector, from industrial materials producers (SCHT, CPT, ABEE), battery manufacturer (ABEE) to R&D centers (IKE, CEA, IREC, TUB, CICe, POLITO, INEGI, UL, FEV) and the automotive industry (TME), covering the complete knowledge and value chain. By developing high-performance, affordable and safe batteries, ADVAGEN aims to re-establish European competitiveness in battery cell production.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Arno Kwade, Institut für Partikeltechnik

Project duration: 1 August 2022 - 31 July 2026

Project partner institutions: ABEE Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering – Belgium (Coordinator), INEGI - Instituto de Ciencia e Inovacao em Engenharia Mecanica e Engenharia Industrial - Portugal, Politecnico di Torino - Italy, FEV Europe gmbh - Germany, Commissariat a l Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives - France, Centro de Investigacion Cooperativa de Energias Alternativas Fundacion, CIC Energigune Fundazioa - Spain, Fundacio Institut de Recerca de l'Energia de Catalunya - Spain, Toyota Motor Europe nv - Belgium, Univerza v Ljubljani - Slovenia, Euroquality sas - France, Techconcepts bv - Netherlands, Ceramic Powder Technology as - Norway, Ikerlan s. Coop – Spain

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Green hydrogen as a fuel offers the possibility to significantly reduce or even eliminate all of aircraft’s greenhouse gas emissions. When liquid hydrogen (LH2) is used in fuel cells (FC) for power generation, this results in no CO2, no SOx and no NOx emissions. The best way to achieve this solution is to develop a hydrogen propulsive FC system as an integral part of a new LH2 aircraft concept. This means moving away from the current “plug and play” (separate motor development and aircraft architecture) philosophy towards a disruptive integrated way of development, which requires a co-creation approach of the propulsion system and the aircraft. FAME follows this approach by collaborative research and development between on one hand partners involved in development of the needed systems of the fuel cell and on the other hand Airbus as and aircraft designer, manfacturer und integrator. Thereby it is ensured that on all levels from material over component and sub-system up to propulsion system on aircraft level an optimization is realized.

The focus of FAME is on developing a complete compact high-efficiency full electric propulsion system based on LH2 as energy source for short to medium range (SMR) aircraft. FAME will develop all the subsystems which are needed and integrate these in a MW FC Propulsion System ground demonstrator with the vision to scale it up to aircraft level (sufficient for SMR aircraft). FAME shows the feasibility of a multi-MW FC Propulsion system for hydrogen-powered SMR aircraft. The system will provide the basis for Clean Aviation in phase 2 to undergo a system flight test.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Jens Friedrichs, Institut für Flugantriebe und Strömungsmaschinen; Peter Scholz, Institut für Strömungsmechanik; Steffen Heinke, Institut für Thermodynamik;

Project duration: 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026

Project partner institutions: Airbus Operations gmbh – Germany (Coordinator), Airbus Operations sas - France, Airbus Operations sl - Spain, Airbus Helicopters - France, Aerostack gmbh - Germany, AVL List gmbh - Austria, Diehl Aviation Gilching gmbh - Germany, Diehl Aerospace gmbh - Germany, Diehl Aviation Laupheim gmbh - Germany, Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse sas - France, Liebherr-Electronics and Drives gmbh - Germany, Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik gmbh & co kg - Austria, Moteurs Leroy-Somer - France, Smartup Engineering srl - Italy, Woodward Poland Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnoscia - Poland, Woodward L'Orange gmbh - Germany, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft - und Raumfahrt ev - Germany, Technische Universiteit Delft - Netherlands, Politechnika Rzeszowska im Ignacego Lukasiewicza prz - Poland, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II – Italy

Europe faces a pressing challenge: securing a sustainable and eco-friendly transition while revolutionising its battery manufacturing sector. To meet ambitious 2030 targets, the EU must accelerate its battery production from 60 GWh to a staggering 900 GWh. This endeavour demands cutting-edge solutions that reduce emissions, boost battery performance, and ensure circularity. In this context, the EU-funded GIGABAT project will focus on developing GEN3b (Li-ion) batteries, requiring innovative, energy-efficient machinery designed for Gigafactories. Pilot plants will validate these systems for real-world applications. But GIGABAT goes beyond machinery. It promotes sustainability, reduces carbon footprints, and digitalises Europe’s battery production. It is a collaborative effort that brings together academia, technology centres, equipment manufacturers and recycling experts.

Contact at TU Braunschweig: Arno Kwade, Institut für Partikeltechnik; Christoph Herrmann, Institut für Werkzeugzeugmaschinen und Fertigungstechnik;

Project duration: 1 July 2023 - 31 December 2026

Project partner institutions: Fundacion Cidetec – Spain (Coordinator), Powerco se - Germany, Manz Italy srl - Italy, Verkor - France, Izertis Sociedad Anonima - Spain, Comau spa - Italy, Excelitas Noblelight gmbh - Germany, Matthews International gmbh - Germany, Jagenberg Converting Solutions gmbh - Germany, Kampf lsf gmbh & co kg - Germany, Lebbing Automation and Drives gmbh - Germany, Rise Research Institutes of Sweden ab - Sweden, Ferroglobe Innovation sl - Spain, Zeppelin Systems gmbh - Germany, Netzsch Trockenmahltechnik gmbh - Germany, Liplanet e.v. - Germany, Fondazione Icons – Italy

To the project's web site