Research

Wood F3 stands for firm (=mechanically stable), fire-resistant and formable wood structures. In previous projects (WoodC.A.R., MoveWOOD, CARpenTiER, etc.), on the one hand, the calculability of wood-based materials by means of numerical methods has been demonstrated, making it possible today to calculate and design wood-hybrid materials using state-of-the-art FE-methods. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated in projects (e.g. Strong Cellulose Composites) that high-performance materials can be produced from wood by densification of veneers. Basic studies on biomimetic approaches for the creation of freely 3D-formable wood structures with high fracture energy provided interesting results. Therefore, the objective of the project is to combine the results from the different projects to new ambitious targets, thus creating the possibility to create high quality and high-performance bio-composites from low value hardwood resources to meet the requirements of the aircraft and automotive industries. Two basic construction principles of wood-based composites are followed for the production of highly densified wood composites: Strand or particle-based materials and veneer-based shell structures. If necessary, the developed materials and structures will be reinforced with (natural) fibres and combined with other materials (metals, plastics). In addition to the ambitious scientific goals, the consortium is pursuing the implementation of the results in demonstrators for the aircraft and automotive industries.

There is - worldwide and in Austria - a significantly increasing demand for building cooling. This is driven by a combination of increasing prosperity, urbanization, demographic developments and, not least, climate change. At the same time, and this is the background of the call for tender for the R&D service in question, the current state of knowledge is not yet sufficient to derive concrete conclusions for politics and administration or to initiate technological innovations. According to the call for proposals, the project objective is therefore, firstly, to present and quantify the future cooling demand of buildings and quarters in Austria, secondly, to support decision-makers in the development of climate protection measures and climate change adaptation strategies and, thirdly, to provide energy suppliers and administrations with the necessary information. thirdly, to provide energy suppliers as well as technology and component manufacturers with an estimate of the future cooling demand. These goals will be achieved by firstly a systematic analysis of the formation factors of the increasing cooling demand, secondly a scenario analysis of the cooling demand against the background of different climate scenarios, building structures and comfort demand levels, thirdly, a structured techno-economic technology analysis and fourth, an exemplary application of the findings to five exemplary neighborhoods. The results will be used to draw meaningful, target-group-specific conclusions and recommendations for action. In particular, the cooling demand scenarios will be translated into cooling demand maps.

The objective of the project is to evaluate the fatigue strength in the very high cycles regime for carburised and pseudo-carburised gear steel using fracture mechanics principles. Fatigue tests will be carried out using the ultrasonic fatigue testing technique at different load ratios. The fatigue strength (S-N curves) as well as the threshold stress intensity factor ranges for long cracks will be determined with tests up to ten billion load cycles.