Single-crystal turbine blades are highly stressed components in aircraft engines, which are exposed to high temperatures and combined creep and fatigue stresses, leading to microstructural damage and limited service life. In the Second_Life project, the Chair of Materials Technology (LWT) at Ruhr University Bochum and the DLR, in cooperation with industrial partners, are developing a process for restoring the microstructure and properties of these blades after service-like stress, in order to extend their service life and save resources. For further information please click and open the entire RUB news article with 'read more'.
As part of Euro PM2026 in Budapest, our research associate Sophia Garthe presented the optimization of a process route developed at the Chair of Materials Engineering for the additive manufacturing of high-nitrogen martensitic steels. She showed that the novel process route makes it possible to address the alloy-specific challenges in processing this steel group and to produce dense martensitic samples.
At the International Conference on Aluminum Alloys (ICAA) 2026 in Berlin, our research associate Songhuang Ye represented the Chair of Materials Technology (LWT) with a technical presentation on "Numerical Modeling of Local Intrinsic Heat Treatment in PBF-LB/M Al10SiMg: Coupling FEA with Ageing Kinetics."
The ICAA is one of the internationally significant conferences in the field of aluminum alloys. As a platform for scientific and industrial exchange, it brings together international experts from both sides and promotes knowledge transfer as well as the discussion of current research results and technological developments.
Together, Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University have successfully convinced the Committee of Experts in the Excellence Strategy: Their strategic partnership within the Ruhr Innovation Lab has been awarded funding as a Consortium of Excellence, placing it among the top 15 institutions in the German academic landscape. Having previously secured a total of three Clusters of Excellence, the two universities were eligible to participate in the top-class competition for research in Germany.
A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES
A virtual tour through the different laboratories and rooms of our chair as well as the associated halls and the equipment located there can be found here.
FUTURE-ORIENTED RESEARCH
The research focus of our chair lies in the new and further development of metallic materials with the inclusion of the relevant processes.
SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE
Our concept is characterized by innovative research under the responsibility for sustainable development and responsible use of energy and resources.
INNOVATIVE COOPERATION
The LWT is staffed by a diverse team of PostDocs, PhD students and student employees, supported by technical and administrative staff.
