Institute for Digital Materials Research

The project objective is the development of new numerical methods for the geometry optimisation of components whose technical function fulfilment includes guided flow processes. The central optimisation goal is energy efficiency, which is expressed in the lowest possible pressure loss or the lowest possible flow resistance. In addition, depending on the application, there are a number of other goals, e.g. requirements regarding the velocity distribution in a certain flow cross-section or a certain distribution of the mass flows in branched channels.
Therefore, topology optimisation criteria and simulation methods are being developed at the Universities of Offenburg and Karlsruhe, which enable computer-aided shape and energy optimisation of guided flows. The methods and software programmes developed on the basis of reference tasks are coupled with flow solvers and applied to practice-relevant components of the participating industrial partners. Different approaches to optimisation with different methodological approaches and different optimisation principles are used at the two universities, which has already proven to be very beneficial in the ongoing FHprofUnt project EUdaF. Specifically, these are automated shape optimisation based on local optimality criteria in Offenburg and modelling diffuse interfaces using the phase field method in Karlsruhe.
The project results flow into new products and services in the field of virtual product development and are thus made available to the cooperation partners from industry as well as numerous other users, which ultimately benefits the competitiveness of the companies through more energy-efficient and cost-effective products. Interesting opportunities for further qualification of students in Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes are created in the participating universities, as well as the possibility for the scientific staff in the project to complete a doctorate.