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Laboratory for High-Performance Materials – Surface Technology and Corrosion

Laboratory for corrosion protection and surface technology

The heat treatment facilities and the 300J pendulum impact tester are actually part of the materials laboratory, but for functional reasons (ceiling loads, high operating temperature) they are permanently moved to the C024 laboratory. The remaining facilities complement and expand the capacities and possibilities of the materials engineering laboratory with regard to the characterisation of polymer materials and also represent the most important surface engineering processes, thus enabling the implementation of real process chains for surface finishing on a pilot plant scale.

Goals and idea

The primary objective is to ensure the smooth implementation of the relevant internships and to offer students clear and practical courses with a high degree of personal involvement. In addition, the laboratory also sees itself as a service provider and advisor for all surface technology issues, both for other laboratories and for building services, whereby workpieces from other laboratories can be heat treated and refined. The infrastructure of the laboratory also enables interested colleagues and student project groups to handle hazardous materials safely, if necessary under expert supervision.

  1. Heat treatment of metals

  2. Hardening metals in an oil bath

  3. From an aluminium blank to an anodised component

  4. We’re making the THI logo look great

  5. Hand-laid laminates made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP)

Laboratory equipment and activities

Electroplating with pre- and post treatment

4 active baths for electrolytic metal deposition on metallic substrates and one for anodising of aluminium, cleaning and pickling baths, rinsing cascades usable bath size approx. 300*400*500 mm

PVD coating plant

Deposition of thin hard material and other functional layers on the basis of sputter technology

IR spectroscopy

Identification of organic materials, mainly plastics

DSC Calorimetry

Quantitative analysis of endothermic and exothermic processes, e.g. latent heat in phase transformations

Pendulum impact tester 300 J

Determination of the impact strength of metallic materials according to DIN EN ISO 148-1

Pendulum impact tester 1,4,25J

Determination of the impact strength of polymer materials according to DIN EN ISO 179-1 and of thin, non-standard samples of metallic materials

Various furnaces for heat treatment

Common heat treatments of metallic materials, such as recrystallisation annealing, normalisation, hardening and tempering of steels, solution heat treatment of aluminium, sintering of ceramic materials, if required also under protective gas

Crucible furnace

Hot dip galvanizing

Spray booth

Painting work

Climate salt spray chamber

Sample chamber 1m3 , performance of various corrosion and climate tests including salt spray test according to DIN EN ISO 9227, condensed water and alternating condensed water climate tests according to DIN EN ISO 6270-2, combined corrosion test according to DIN EN ISO 1997-1 and related corrosion tests

Laboratory management and team

  4. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manuela Waltz

    Deputy Women's Representative, Programme director and Academic advisor Automotive Engineering

    E-Mail
    Phone
    +49 841 9348-3530
    Room
    A232
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