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In Fraunhofer Institute for Finishing Technique and Applied Material Research (IFAM)
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First the glue and scissors
Soon all wallpaper will shine, posters will glimmer, and fabrics will burst with the most electrifying of colours. All thanks to the researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP) who are putting the ‘light’ in art foils. How? The trick: The foil consists of multiple layers, sort of like a sandwich, and where the meat would be is an electrically conductive layer with an electrode attached. The specialists and ‘light designers’ are more than blinded by the results.
Turn on the lights
But they are not just for art, things like safety escape routes can be illuminated with the same process. Just stick on a little foil and voila! Even in the thickest of airs the way to the exit will be clear. The foil is paper thin, extremely effective, it needs next to no electricity, and they are being produced in masses.
Faster than the Wind
Wind-powered generators should be happy with the mildest wind, but that is not necessarily the case. Strong winds damage the propeller motor. If one knew when a strong gust of wind was about to hit, then the propellers could be turned to offer less wind surface. But who knows these things in advance?
The researchers at the Max Planck Institute do and without the help of the weather man. They have developed a system that can predict a gust of wind based on the force of the wind curve. Every gust of wind has a ‘dent’ that precedes it. These researchers have now developed software that makes sure the sails are taken out of the wind in time.
From Trees to Brakes
Ever hit the car brakes so hard they ground into the floor? An inevitable action that so inevitably damages the brake lining. Of course racing cars need something stronger, something made with reinforced carbon and carbon fibres. These types of ‘super’ brakes would make a lot sense in a regular car, too bad they are terribly expensive. But not for long according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Sintered Materials (IKTS). Their new development of a type of wood ceramics could just be the answer.
Flax, hemp, or wood fibres are used to form a strand of carbon. That is then soaked in liquid silicon. This procedure creates a temperature resistant silicon carbide. The ‘wood ceramics’ success already has machine-building engineers lining up for purchase.
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| Further Information
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TU Dresden is a member of TU9, an alliance of the best technical universities in Germany. On its webpages, TU9 provides information on studying engineering and natural sciences.
www.tu9.de/...
Profile of the Dresden-Chemnitz region and its Networks of Competence
www.kompetenznetze.de/...
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