The aim of the consortium is to dovetail product-oriented lightweight construction development with production research right from the outset. Alongside six institutes at the University of Stuttgart and Daimler, numerous further representatives from the worlds of business and science in Baden-Württemberg are involved in the long-term Campus, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
In order to support the activities planned by the Research Campus, Daimler and the University of Stuttgart signed an additional long-term cooperation agreement. This involves doctoral candidates and employees from the Institute for Aircraft Design carrying out joint research with lightweight construction experts from Daimler into fundamental matters in the field of production, simulation and design of FRP and CRP lightweight construction components.
At the Institute for Aircraft Design we have been developing fibre-reinforced lightweight construction structures for aviation for many years now. Our research focuses on preform technology/liquid composite moulding and the virtual representation of the entire process chain, offering high transfer potential for the automotive industry. Together with Daimler, in the future we primarily want to investigate faster and more cost-effective procedures in order to meet the challenges of large-scale production with new technologies.
Professor Peter Middendorf Head of the Institute for Aircraft Design at the University of Stuttgart
Lightweight construction is an integral component of Daimler’s strategy on the road to sustainable mobility. One of the company’s development aims is to reduce the body weight of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles by approximately 10 percent compared with the predecessor models. This means that fuel efficiency can be improved even further, and emissions cut even more. In order to achieve this goal, Daimler is concentrating on developing new technologies.
The research will be carried out in the Universities ARENA2036 (Active Research Environment for the Next Generation of Automobiles), scientists and other experts carry out research into lightweight construction technologies and production models for the car of the future in the year 2036, the 150th anniversary of the invention of the automobile.