Institute for Steel Construction and Materials Mechanics

Welcome at the Institute for Steel Construction and Materials Mechanics

The Institute for Steel Construction and Materials Mechanics has two departments: Steel Construction and Materials Mechanics. This includes the experimental areas of the institute, a ÜZ center, as well as a DAkkS-accredited testing laboratory and a certification body notified by the DIBt. Since 2004, the institute has been based in the new civil engineering building on the Lichtwiese. The two subject areas form a teaching unit in the degree course.

Department of Steel Construction

Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Yvonne Ciupack

All aspects of steel construction, from the theoretical principles of stability and plasticity to the structural tasks of structural design and detailing, are covered in research and teaching.

Teaching in the Bachelor's program includes: Stability theory, design and construction based on the current state of research and with reference to applicable standards and regulations.

In the Master's degree course, the Department of Steel Construction initially focuses on selected topics of steel construction as well as load-bearing methods and lateral-torsional buckling. In more detail, topics such as plate buckling, bridge construction (including composite construction), lightweight construction, timber construction are examined.

The spectrum of research focuses ranges from basic research to involvement in product development: additive manufacturing of steel components using wire arc additive manufacturing, composite structures, sandwich elements, lightweight steel construction, connections and joints in structural engineering, fire behavior of steel structures, lateral-torsional buckling, analysis of learning and thought processes specific to structural engineering, eLearning.

Department of Steel Construction

Department of Materials Mechanics

Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anna Trauth

The Department of Mechanics of Materials is dedicated to modeling the behavior of materials under mechanical stress as realistically as possible and develops experimental methods to investigate the damage behavior of materials. The focus is on questions of deformation, damage and strength under static and cyclic loads. In the Bachelor's program, basic specialist knowledge is taught in the areas of materials in construction and materials mechanics. The Master's program offers lectures and seminars on fatigue strength, fracture mechanics, welding and welding simulation as well as experimental methods in mechanics.

The main areas of research are:

  • Fatigue of metals, composite materials and material composites as well as additively manufactured materials
  • Fatigue strength of high-strength steels and welded joints
  • Development of methods for characterizing and modelling deformation and damage behaviour

Department of Materials Mechanics

A wide range of experimental research is carried out in the institute's experimental areas. On the one hand, crack investigations in the μm range are carried out on material samples and on the other hand, deformation investigations are carried out on bridges with a span of 20 m. The experimental areas are an integral part of the Steel Construction and Mechanics of Materials research areas.

The steel construction testing laboratory is accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) for experimental tests on self-supporting sandwich elements. In addition, research investigations are carried out in the following areas: Sandwich elements, steel and plastic cables, lightweight aluminum and steel profiles, cyclic loading (earthquake) of steel-concrete composite elements, composite materials, high-temperature behavior of steel profiles, lateral-torsional buckling, leakage tests on sandwich elements, pull-out tests on fasteners, etc.

The certification body is accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) as a certification body for numerous construction products in the field of fastening technology and is notified by the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt). It is also recognized by the DIBt as a monitoring and certification body for sandwich elements in accordance with state building regulations. The certification body carries out all activities relating to product certification and certification of factory production control.

In the laboratory area of materials mechanics, experimental investigations are carried out in particular on the fatigue behavior of metallic materials: Fatigue / fatigue strength of metallic materials and welded joints, components under uniaxial and multiaxial stress, determination of cyclic material data, crack propagation behavior. Corresponding tests are carried out, for example, on 3D-printed aluminum alloys, on high-strength steels, on weld seams of modern, high-strength structural steels, on materials and components under low temperatures (down to -80°C) and under elevated temperatures (up to +200°C), on polymers, etc.

In teaching and research, there are many contacts with internal and external university partners. In the area of teaching, the cooperation between structural engineers and architects is particularly important. Research and teaching in timber construction are supported by the Research Institute for Timber and Dry Construction (VHT) and the Institute for Dry and Lightweight Construction (ITL). In research, there are numerous contacts with other research institutes, research funding institutions, state institutions for building supervision and industrial companies in the context of assessments and development work. These include Institute for Materials Science (TUDa), Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM), Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability (LBF), Institute for Structural Durability TU Clausthal, Materials Research and Testing Institute Weimar. Research funding institutions include the following: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, FOSTA – Forschungsvereinigung Stahlanwendung e. V., Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau (FKM), Deutscher Verband für Schweißtechnik (DVS), Stiftung Industrieforschung. The most important partner in the field of construction supervision is the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) in Berlin.

 

Contact and Route Information

Contact

Fon: +49 6151 16-22401

Fax: +49 6151 16-22404

Mail: info@stahlbau.tu-darmstadt.de

Visiting address

Building L5|06

Franziska-Braun-Straße 3

64287 Darmstadt

Postal address

L5|06 507

Franziska-Braun-Straße 3

64287 Darmstadt

Delivery address (packages)

Central post office Lichtwiese

Alarich-Weiss-Straße 4

64287 Darmstadt

Delivery address (Test and Research Lab)

Building L5|07

Franziska-Braun-Straße 5

64287 Darmstadt