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News
Jesus Maldonado, Mario Danzi and Matthias Heymanns joined the Centre of Structure Technologies.
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Jesus Maldonado, Mario Danzi and Matthias Heymanns as the newest members of our group.
Author: T. Hilsdorf | Date: 07.05.2012 | Details: »»
Final presentations of master theses
On April 4th, eight students presented the results of their master theses at the Centre of Structure Technologies. The topics of the theses are placed in various research areas of the institute, like Morphing Wing, Structural Optimization, and Composite Materials Processing.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 05.04.2012 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at SEICO 12
On March 26th/27th, the Centre of Structure Technologies took part at SEICO 12, the 33rd SAMPE Europe International Technical Conference and Forum in Paris. PhD Student Bryan Louis presented a paper entitled “Characterization of Reactive Resin Flow During High Temperature LCM Injection”.
Prof. Paolo Ermanni, who is the current president of SAMPE Europe, gave the opening and closing speech.
»»Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 30.03.2012 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at the international conference Smart Systems Integration
On March 21st - 22nd, over 100 speakers from 19 countries presented their latest research results and practical solutions at the Smart Systems Integration 2012 in Zurich.
The Centre of Structure Technologies took part at the conference with a contribution of Mr. Tommaso Delpero, who presented the results of his research activites in the field of piezoelectric vibration damping by means of autonomous shunts.
Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 23.03.2012 | Details: »»
Midterm Presentations of Student Projects
On Wednesday, the 14th of March, 18 students presented the work in progress related to the bachelor, semester and master theses they are currently carrying out at the centre.
»»Author: Wolfram Raither | Date: 14.03.2012 | Details: »»
Talk of Prof. Ermanni at Georgia Tech
On 8th March, Prof. Ermanni gave a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The contribution was focused on morphing airfoils using compliant structures and variable stiffness approaches.
Author: F. Previtali | Date: 09.03.2012 | Details: »»
Spring Semester 2012 starts at ETH Zurich
The Spring Semester 2012 started at ETH Zurich on February, 20th. The lectures the Centre of Structure Technologies is offering comprise two courses at the Bachelor level and six at the Master level (http://www.structures.ethz.ch/education), involving overall more than 400 students.
The Centre also offers the opportunity for the students to develop semester works and master theses side-by-side with doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows (http://www.structures.ethz.ch/education/projects/open). The new students are warmly welcomed and called for keeping ETH's high level education standards.
Author: D. Montenegro | Date: 22.02.2012 | Details: »»
End-term examinations in “Dimensioning I”
On February 2, the written end term examinations for “Dimensioning I” took place. The course was lectured by Prof. P. Ermanni from the Centre of Structure Technologies. Currently, the Teaching Assistants from the IMES-ST are hard at work correcting the exams. We wish all the students who took part in the examination the best of luck for their future studies.
Author: B. Louis | Date: 06.02.2012 | Details: »»
Composite Processing Group Seminar in Monte Verità
From the 12th to the 14th of January, researchers, Ph.D. and master students, working on Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) at the Centre of Structure Technologies, have met at Monte Verità (Ascona).
»»Author: Claudio Di Fratta, Florian Klunker | Date: 01.02.2012 | Details: »»
Final presentation of the Master project
On Monday, January 23rd, Ralf Basler held the final presentation of his master thesis at the Centre of Structure Technologies.
»»Author: T. Hilsdorf | Date: 24.01.2012 | Details: »»
Invitation to the presentation of Prof. Dr. Andrei Gusev
It is a great pleasure to announce the talk of Prof. Dr. Andrei Gusev entitled “Loss Amplification Effect in Multiphase Materials with Viscoelastic Interfaces” on January 19th, 2012. Guests are welcome!
| Date: | Thursday, 19th January |
| Time: | 14.15 – 15.15 |
| Place: | ETH Zurich, Building ML, Room H 37.1, Sonneggstr. 3, 8092 Zurich |
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 12.01.2012 | Details: »»
PhD Defense of Michael Winkler
Center of Structure Technologies is happy to inform, that Michael Winkler has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "Analysis of Corrugated Laminates". We would like to congratulate Mr Winkler and wish him all the best for the future.
Author: V. Dmitriev | Date: 09.01.2012 | Details: »»
Topics for theses at the Centre of Structure Technologies
The Centre of Structure Technologies is offering theses with topics regarding Innovative Composite Structures, Process Technologies, Vibration Damping, Design Engineering, Compliant Systems and Computational Structural Mechanics.
»»Author: C. Di Fratta | Date: 19.12.2011 | Details: »»
Final presentations of student theses
On December 14th, 5 students of the Centre of Structure Technologies presented their approaches and results within the Bachelor and Semester theses. The topics of the theses are placed in various research areas of the institute, like Morphing Wing, Metamaterials, Structural Optimization, and Composite Materials.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 15.12.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Timo Hilsdorf and Sebastian Kollert
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Timo Hilsdorf and Sebastian Kollert as the newest members of our group.
Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 08.12.2011 | Details: »»
Crack Detection with Digital Image Correlation
In order to verify simulation results, tensile tests on laminated plates with a centered hole have been performed at the Centre of Structure Technologies.
Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 25.11.2011 | Details: »»
Invitation to the colloquium by Mr. Kazuo Okamoto, Toyota Motor Corporation
It is a great pleasure to announce the talk of Mr. Kazuo Okamoto entitled “Toyota’s R&D Activities for Realizing Sustainable Mobility” on November 18th, 2011.
| Date: | Friday, 18 November |
| Time: | 14.15 – 15.00 |
| Place: | ETH Zurich, Building ML, Room F 36, Sonneggstr. 3, 8092 Zurich |
Author: G. Molinari | Date: 08.11.2011 | Details: »»
On Friday, the 4th of November, Yi Liu successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Damping Technologies for Automotive Panel Structures”. We congratulate him and wish him all the best for the future.
Author: Wolfram Raither | Date: 07.11.2011 | Details: »»
Midterm Presentations of Student Theses
On October 25th, the intermeditate presentations of the students' theses were shown within the Centre of Structure Technologies.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 25.10.2011 | Details: »»
AMZ Racing finishes the season with a huge success!
From September 28th to October 2nd, the Formula Student Team of the ETH Zurich took part at the second edition of Formula Student Spain.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 25.10.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at ICAST 2011
On October 10th - 12th the Centre of Structure Technologies took part at the 22nd ICAST Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies in Corfu, Greece.
»»Author: F. Previtali | Date: 18.10.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Davi Montenegro
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Mr. Davi Montenegro as the newest addition to our group.
Author: G. Molinari | Date: 28.09.2011 | Details: »»
Ph.D. Defense of Christa Jordi
On the 21st of September, Christa Jordi successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis entitled Biomimetic Airship Driven by Dielectric Elastomer Actuators.
The Centre of Structure Technologies congratulates her and wishes her all the best for the future.
Author: G. Molinari | Date: 28.09.2011 | Details: »»
Students at the IMES measure the strain of coursework!
On Wednesday and Thursday, September 21 & 22, 2011, students in the course Ingenieurtools-Strukturversuchstechnik performed mechanical evaluation and simultaneous data acquisition on bike frames.
Author: B. Louis | Date: 26.09.2011 | Details: »»
Aktualisierte Dimensionieren I Vorlesung beginnt am Montag
Am Montag, 26. September 2011 beginnt die aktualisierte Vorlesung Dimensionieren I.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 23.09.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at SMASIS 2011
On September 19th - 21st the Centre of Structure Technologies took part at the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures & Intelligent Systems in Scottsdale, AZ.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 23.09.2011 | Details: »»
PhD Defense of Grégoire Lepoittevin
On Wednesday, September 7th, Grégoire Lepoittevin successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis. The thesis is investigating the optimal use and configuration of passive damping layers in a fiber reinforced laminate.
The Centre of Structure Technologies cordially congratulates him and wishes him all the best for the future.
Author: G. Molinari | Date: 08.09.2011 | Details: »»
Lecture on Damping of Composite Laminates and Structures by Prof. Dr. Saravanos
On Wednesday, September 7th 2011, Prof. Dr. Dimitris Saravanos from Patras University will give a talk about "Damping of Composite Laminates and Structures". The event will take place from 15.15 to 16.00 in the ETH Main building, HG F 33.5.
PDFAuthor: G. Molinari | Date: 05.09.2011 | Details: »»
Bridge Building Contest 2012, Swiss SAMPE Chapter
On February 24th, 2012 the Bridge Building Contest 2012 will take place at EPF Lausanne: teams of students will design and build their scaled bridge models and will compete for the most resistant structures and the most surprising designs.
PDFAuthor: T. Delpero | Date: 31.08.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at ICCM 18
On August 21th-26th the Centre of Structure Technologies took part at the 18th International Conference on Composite Materials on Jeju island in South Korea.
»»Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 29.08.2011 | Details: »»
The European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence And Combustion (ERCOFTAC) is organizing a summer school followed by a workshop on Fluid-Structure Interaction for Biomedical Applications. The workshop will take place on August 29 - September 2 in Prague.
Author: V. Dmitriev | Date: 22.08.2011 | Details: »»
AMZ continues success story in Spielberg and Hockenheim
In the second and third Formula Student event of this season the Akademische Motorsportverein Zürich (AMZ) reached the first place in the electric class (Spielberg) and the second place at FSE (Hockenheim) with its electric car "novena".
»»Author: G. Molinari | Date: 10.08.2011 | Details: »»
Lecture on Soft active materials by Prof. Dr. Z. Suo
On Tuesday, August 9th 2011, Prof Dr. Zhigang Suo, from University of Harvard, will give a lecture titled "Soft active materials – when mechanics meets chemistry". The event will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. in ETH Main building, HG E 33.1.
PDFAuthor: C. Di Fratta | Date: 03.08.2011 | Details: »»
Zürich finishes second overall in Formula Student at Silverstone
In the first Formula Student event of this season the Akademische Motorsportverein Zürich (AMZ) reached the second place in the class 1A with it's electric car "novena".
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 25.07.2011 | Details: »»
Open positions and internships in industry
New offers for internships and positions in industry are available.
»»Author: M. Winkler | Date: 22.07.2011 | Details: »»
PhD defense of Ghalib Thwapiah
On this Monday, 11th of July, Ghalib Thwapiah successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis. The thesis entitled „Shape Adaptation of Active Material Systems Using Aeroelastic Coupling Effects“ analytically, numerically and experimentally investigates lift amplification on non-rigid airfoils at flight conditions close to static divergence. The Centre of Structure Technologies cordially congratulates him and wishes him all the best for the future.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 12.07.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at the 1st International ATZ conference
On July 7th-8th the 1st International ATZ conference about Automotive Acoustics took place at ETH Zürich.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 11.07.2011 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Dr. Florian Klunker
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Dr. Florian Klunker from the ‘Institut für Polymerwerkstoffe und Kunststofftechnik’ at the TU Clausthal. He is starting a Post Doctorate in Composite processing. We wish him the best for the future.
Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 01.07.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at ICCS16
ICCS16, the 16th International Conference on Composite Structures, will take place in Porto (Portugal) from 28th to 30th of June.
»»Author: Wolfram Raither | Date: 24.06.2011 | Details: »»
On Tuesday, June 28th 2011, from 11:00 am - 12:00 am, Prof. Dr. Massimo Ruzzene from Georgia Tech will provide an intriguing talk moderated by Prof. Dr. Edoardo Mazza, entitled: ‘Wavefield Analysis Techniques and Novel Transducers for Guided-Wave Structural Health Monitoring’. The location is the Theodor-Erismann-Auditorium VE102 at EMPA, Dübendorf.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 15.06.2011 | Details: »»
Lecture on "Compliant Transparent Electrode Materials and Stretchable Polymer Electronics" at EMPA
Prof. Dr Qibing Pei, from the University of California, will give a lecture titled "Compliant Transparent Electrode Materials and Stretchable Polymer Electronics". The lecture will take place on June 14 from 10.30 to 11.30 in the Theodor-Erismann-Auditorium (VE102) at Empa, Dübendorf.
PDFAuthor: F. Previtali | Date: 08.06.2011 | Details: »»
Linear and Nonlinear Metamaterials for the Management of Elastic Waves
On Friday, June 10th, Prof. Dr. Massimo Ruzzene from Georgia Tech will give a talk about "Linear and Nonlinear Metamaterials for the Management of Elastic Waves".
PDFAuthor: T. Delpero | Date: 30.05.2011 | Details: »»
On Thursday, May 26, 2011, students from the Advanced Composites Processing course re-evaluated the carbon fibre tubes they had previously tested to over 80KN, this time to failure.
Author: B. Louis | Date: 27.05.2011 | Details: »»
Four years after the inaugural conference held in Bangalore, India, the Second International Symposium on Compliant Mechanisms took place May 19-20 at TUDelft, in the Netherlands.
»»Author: B. Louis | Date: 27.05.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at SAMPE 2011 in Long Beach, CA USA
On Monday, May 23rd, Mr. Claudio di Fratta of the Centre of Structure Technologies presented his contribution to the liquid composite molding session entitled: “A Combined Experimental/Numerical Approach for LCM-Process Quality Prediction”.
»»Author: B. Louis | Date: 25.05.2011 | Details: »»
Lightweight Structures Laboratory: final tests
On Tuesday, May 24th, the students of the Lightweight Structures Laboratory did their second and final test on the structures they designed.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 24.05.2011 | Details: »»
Presentations of student theses
In the last two days, 34 bachelor and master students of the Centre of Structure Technologies presented their projects. The topics of the theses are placed in various research areas of the institute, like Functional Materials, Morphing Wing, Corrugated Sheets, Structural Optimization, and Composite Materials.
Author: G. Molinari | Date: 18.05.2011 | Details: »»
ACP composite tubes can carry 2 Elephants!
On Thursday, May 12, 2011, students from the course Advanced Composites Processing performed mechanical evaluation on carbon fibre tubes they had constructed.
Author: B. Louis | Date: 16.05.2011 | Details: »»
Hilfsassistenten für Dimensionieren I im HS 2011 gesucht!
Das Zentrum für Strukturtechnologien sucht ab sofort motivierte Maschinenbaustudenten, die im Rahmen der Pflichtvorlesung Dimensionieren I gern eine Übungsgruppe als Hilfsassistent betreuen möchten. Bei Interesse bitte bei Florian Bachmann melden: fbachmann@ethz.ch
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 11.05.2011 | Details: »»
On the 6th of May, Joanna Wong successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled: Macroporous Polymers from Particle-stabilized Foams for Ferroelectrets. The Centre of Structure Technologies congratulates her and wishes her all the best for the future.
Author: G. Lepoittevin | Date: 09.05.2011 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Prof. Massimo Ruzzene
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Prof. Massimo Ruzzene from the Georgia Institute of Technology as a visiting Professor. Prof. Ruzzene joined our Institute on May 5th and he will spend 3 months in our group mainly supporting the smart Airfoil projects and the activities in the field of active piezoelectric shunt-damping. We wish him a valuable experience.
»»Author: L. Di Lillo | Date: 06.05.2011 | Details: »»
Technologies for the new generation of helicopters
On next Monday May 9th, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Michael Stephan from Eurocopter will give a talk entitled "Technologien für die nächste Hubschraubergeneration".
PDFAuthor: T. Delpero | Date: 03.05.2011 | Details: »»
Experiments with structures manufactured by a novel manufacturing approach
During the spring semester experiments on CFRP structures manufactured by a novel manufacturing approach are being carried out at the Centre of Structure Technologies.
Author: O.Haefner | Date: 29.04.2011 | Details: »»
Presentations of Student Theses
In the last 2 weeks a total number of 44 students presented their projects. The topics of the theses are placed in various research areas of the institute, like Functional Materials, Morphing Wing, Corrugated Sheets, Structural Optimization, or Composite Materials.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 07.04.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at SAMPE SEICO 11 Conference and JEC Composite Show
Last 28th-31st March, in Paris, the Centre of Structure Technologies took part at SAMPE EUROPE 32nd International Conference - SEICO 11 and attended the JEC Composite Show
»»Author: C. Di Fratta | Date: 04.04.2011 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies supports Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ)
The students of the Academic Motorsports Club Zürich (AMZ) are building an electrically powered race car for the Formula Student class. The racecar for season 2011 (called «novena», after a Swiss alpine pass) was developed on basis of the 2010 car «furka».
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 24.03.2011 | Details: »»
Acoustic Emission Measurements
Novel piezoelectric ceramic tranducer modules have been tested with an Acoustic Emission Set-up.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 22.03.2011 | Details: »»
Meeting for COALESCE2 at Airbus UK in Broughton
The Centre of Structure Technologies participated the meeting for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the EU research project COALESCE2 at Airbus in Broughton.
Author: O. Haefner | Date: 18.03.2011 | Details: »»
Blasting on LEE construction site
During the last week of February, several blasting tests were performed in the excavation pit next to our institute.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 10.03.2011 | Details: »»
Ph.D. Defense of Alexander Hasse
Alexander Hasse defended his Ph.D. thesis entitled "Synthesis of Planar Compliant Mechanisms with Selective Compliance for Shape Adaptation". The Centre of Structure Technologies congratulates him for his great work. Alexander Hasse will continue his research at the Institute within a temporary project funded by the ETH.
Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 01.03.2011 | Details: »»
Beginning of the spring semester (Frühlingssemester) 2011
This week the spring semester is starting. For this semester, the centre offers the courses “Advanced Composites Processing”, “Structural Optimization”, “Structural Analysis with FEM”, “Aircraft Structures”, “Engineering Tool III: FEM Programs” and the “Lightweight Structures Laboratory”. We wish all the students an interesting and successful semester.
»»Author: F. Previtali | Date: 21.02.2011 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies at COMPTEST 2011
From 14th to 16th of February COMPTEST 2011, the 5th International Conference on Composites Testing and Model Identification, took place at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
»»Author: Wolfram Raither | Date: 16.02.2011 | Details: »»
End-term examinations in “Dimensioning I”
On February 8, the written end term examinations for “Dimensioning I” took place. This subject has been lectured by Prof. P. Ermanni from the Centre of Structure Technologies. This year, 371 students registered for the exam in “Dimensioning I”. Currently, Teaching Assistants are working hard on the corrections of the exams.
Author: Manfred Q | Date: 10.02.2011 | Details: »»
Topics for theses at the Centre of Structure Technologies
The Centre of Structure Technologies is offering theses with topics regarding Innovative Composite Structures, Process Technologies, Vibration Damping, Design Engineering, Compliant Systems and Computational Structural Mechanics.
PDF »»Author: G. Molinari | Date: 02.02.2011 | Details: »»
5th Technical Conference Swiss SAMPE Chapter
On the 26th of January the 5th Technical Conference Swiss SAMPE Chapter took place in ETH Zürich. The main topic of the conference was: ‘The industrialization of advanced composites through textile technology’.
PDF »»Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 27.01.2011 | Details: »»
On January 22, "Quadrant Award 2011" - an international award for outstanding academic achievements in the field of «Materials and processes related to engineering and high-performance plastics and composites» - took place at ETHZ.
The submitted PhD theses were evaluated by an international jury of experts.
Author: T.Ponurovska | Date: 24.01.2011 | Details: »»
Damping Approaches Aiming on the Application on Vehicle Panels
In the latest project phase of the collaboration with Rieter Automotive AG, three new damping approaches were successfully investigated experimentally and in simulation by employing miscellaneous viscoelastic, metallic and piezo materials.
»»Author: Yi Liu | Date: 21.01.2011 | Details: »»
Flow-controlled 2D permeability measurement for fibre preforms for LCM applications
A flow front and pressure measurement based 2D in-plane permeability measurement device has been developed for measuring the in-plane permeability of fibre preforms.
PDF »»Author: B. Louis | Date: 13.01.2011 | Details: »»
Open positions and Internships in Industry
Involvement of Bachelor and Master students in industry cooperations is a central aspect of the activities of the Centre of Structure Technologies. New open positions and internships in industries have become available and are now published on our website.
»»Author: G. Molinari | Date: 06.01.2011 | Details: »»
On the 15th of December, all the people from the Centre of Structure Technologies had a wonderful time at the restaurant Degenried in Zürich. Glühwein, fondue and kirsch were the menu. We wish to all staff members and students a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Author: G. Lepoittevin | Date: 20.12.2010 | Details: »»
Final presentation of bachelor and semester theses
Today, 6 students presented the results of their bachelor resp. semester theses.
»»Author: M. Winkler | Date: 16.12.2010 | Details: »»
Ph. D. Defenses of C. Zaniboni and F. Hürlimann
Center of Structure Technologies is happy to inform, that two Ph. D. theses were successfully defended in early December. We would like to congratulate Chiara Zaniboni and Florian Hürlimann for their great work and wish them all the best for the future.
Author: Vitaly Dmitriev | Date: 14.12.2010 | Details: »»
Collaboration between the Centre of Structure Technologies, EMPA and ZHAW
Our Center, EMPA and ZHAW are pursuing a joint project, in form of a master thesis work, investigating with the application of adaptive damping in aeroelasticity. (Video)
»»Author: L. Di Lillo | Date: 29.11.2010 | Details: »»
Brühlmeier Modellbau AG and 3A Composites at the Centre of Structure Technologies
On 19th November, Brühlmeier Modellbau AG and 3A Composites, two main companies working in the field of composite materials, visited the Centre for Structure Technologies.
Author: C. Di Fratta | Date: 21.11.2010 | Details: »»
On Friday, November 19th, Professor Paolo Ermanni and Florian Bachmann will attend the annual forum of Berliner Kreis on product innovation in Luxembourg.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 17.11.2010 | Details: »»
Members of the Centre of Structure Technologies participated in the K 2010 International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber in Düsseldorf, Germany to learn about the raw materials, processing equipment, polymer additives, and related services available in industry.
»»Author: J. Wong | Date: 03.11.2010 | Details: »»
Piezoelectric Actuators for Future High Performance Aircraft Engine Applications
Novel in-house actuators were developed and applied to aircraft engine blades to counteract vibration problems. Preliminary tests revealed their outstanding strain allowables compared to commercial transducers.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 01.11.2010 | Details: »»
The electro car "furka" of the AMZ Racing Team has won the enducrance race over 22 km at Torino.
PDF »»Author: M. Winkler | Date: 25.10.2010 | Details: »»
Final presentations of the Master projects
On Tuesday, October 12th, Master students of the Centre of Structure Technologies held their final presentations.
»»Author: S. Steiner | Date: 19.10.2010 | Details: »»
We congratulate Mr. Mario Studer for winning the "Kunststoffpreis 2010".
Author: Yi Liu | Date: 13.10.2010 | Details: »»
A new project named "Sensitivity-Based Optimization of Laminated Composite Structures with a New Parameterization Concept", has been approved for funding by the Swiss National Science Foundation and will start with the beginning of the year 2011.
Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 11.10.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Bryan Louis
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Mr. Bryan Louis as the newest addition to our group.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 11.10.2010 | Details: »»
One of the PhD candidates in the Centre of Structures Technologies, Mr. Grégoire Lepoittevin, has recently presented his last results in ASME 2010 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems in Philadelphia, USA from September 28th to October 1st. His presentation was named “Multifunctional composite structures with integrated damping treatments – A parametric study”.
»»Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 07.10.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of structure Technologies presents research results at ICAST 2010
Several Members of the Centre of Structure Technologies will present their latest research results next week at the ICAST 2010 at Pennsylvania State University.
Author: Manfred Quack | Date: 29.09.2010 | Details: »»
Beginning of the autumn semester (Herbstsemester) 2010
This week, the autumn semester is starting. We wish all the students an interesting and successful semester.
We also remind that, if you are looking for Semester, Bachelor or Master project, you can find a nice selection of available projects on the “Teaching> Student Research Projects” section of this website.
Author: F. Previtali | Date: 20.09.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies Welcomes Wolfram Raither
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Mr. Wolfram Raither as the newest addition to our group.
»»Author: T. Delpero | Date: 16.09.2010 | Details: »»
CTI Medtech Award 2010 goes to Michael Sauter's spinoff company
«And the winner is… 'compliant concept'. Michael Sauter and his team receive the CTI Medtech Award 2010» was the announcement heard in the Casino in Bern on August 31st.
»»Author: G. Molinari | Date: 08.09.2010 | Details: »»
On Thursday, 26th August, a group of about 70 Pupils visited ETH Zurich. They were introduced to ETH’s courses of studies by a representative of the rector's office. Thereafter, they were offered a tour through several research labs.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 27.08.2010 | Details: »»
Why Are We So Excited about Carbon Nanostructures?
On September 16th, 2010, Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus (Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology) will give a lecture entitled „Why Are We So Excited about Carbon Nanostructures?”. It will take place in the ML building, room E12, from 13:30 to 14:30.
PDFAuthor: G. Lepoittevin | Date: 25.08.2010 | Details: »»
Intermediate Presentation of Students Master Theses
Today, the intermediate presentations of the Master Theses at the Centre of Structure Technologies were held. 4 students presented the content and current status of their theses within various areas of research of the Institute.
Author: O.Haefner | Date: 10.08.2010 | Details: »»
On 4th August, from 10.30 am - 11.30 am, Dr. Santhi Ani-Joseph, Cochin University of Science & Tech., Kerala (India), will provide a seminar talk on various linear and non-linear optical characterization methods of materials.
Author: L. Di Lillo | Date: 24.07.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies at FPCM 10
From July 11th to 15th, the Centre of Structure Technologies took part in the 10th International Conference on Flow Processes in Composite Materials (FPCM 10) at the Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland
»»Author: C. Di Fratta | Date: 16.07.2010 | Details: »»
ETHZ participated in quarterly DREAM meeting in Porrentruy (Busch Composites S.A. facility).
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 05.07.2010 | Details: »»
Gian-Luca Bona, director of EMPA, visited the Centre of Structure Technologies
On Thursday July 1st, Professor Bona - director of EMPA - visited the Centre of Structure Technologies.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 02.07.2010 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies participates in the European research project COALESCE2 which aims to reduce the cost of fixed leading edge wing structures of modern commercial aircrafts.
Author: M. Winkler | Date: 23.06.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies at ECCM 14
Between 7th and 10th of June, the 14th European Conference on Composite Material took place in Budapest, Hungary.
»»Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 14.06.2010 | Details: »»
Morphing Aircraft: Past Research and Future Directions
On next Monday, 14th of June, Prof. Friswell from Swansea University (UK) will give a presentation about “Morphing Aircraft: Past Research and Future Directions”. The presentation will start at 9.00 am in LEO C6. A short abstract can be here downloaded.
PDFAuthor: T. Delpero | Date: 09.06.2010 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies thanks student for great final presentations
During last week, on the 27th and 28th of May, the presentations of the student’s theses were shown in the Centre of Structure Technologies. A total number of 24 students showed their approaches and results within their Bachelor, Semester and Master theses.
Author: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 28.05.2010 | Details: »»
On Tuesday, May 25th, the students attending the Strukturlabor had their second and final experimental test for the structures they designed.
»»Author: F. Previtali | Date: 26.05.2010 | Details: »»
The 37th traditional race "SOLA-Staffete" of the Academic Sports Association of Zurich (ASVZ) took place on Saturday, May 8th.
Author: T. Ponurovska | Date: 10.05.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Claudio Di Fratta
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Mr. Claudio Di Fratta as a new PhD candidate in our group.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 05.05.2010 | Details: »»
On the 26th of April, David Keller defended his Ph.D. thesis entitled "Evolutionary Design of Laminated Composite Structures". The Centre of Structure Technologies congratulates him for his great work and wishes him all the best for the future.
Author: G. Lepoittevin | Date: 26.04.2010 | Details: »»
On next Thursday, 29th. April, a seminar about HyperMesh will be held in our institute.
»»Author: Yi Liu | Date: 22.04.2010 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies is proud to present the newborn website for the project Smart Airfoil, in the field of compliant systems.
»»Author: G. Molinari | Date: 14.04.2010 | Details: »»
Intermediate Presentation of Student Theses
On thursday, 25th of March, the intermediate presentations of the students' theses were shown within the Centre of Structures and Technologies.
Author: O.Haefner | Date: 30.03.2010 | Details: »»
EMPA-Colloquium: Crossing continents, narrowing gaps
On 30th March, from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm, Prof. Dr Julian Vincent, University of Bath (UK), will provide an intriguing conference moderated by Prof. Dr Edoardo Mazza, entitled: ‘Crossing continents, narrowing gaps’.
PDFAuthor: L. Di Lillo | Date: 22.03.2010 | Details: »»
Formula Stundent Team tests Monocoque Laminate
For the SEF (structural equivilancy form) document, we have made five different sandwich laminate samples of our side impact structure and tested them to prove adequate shear strength and bending stiffness. The tests were done by our student members at the Composites lab of ETH Zurich. To mount threaded inserts to our monocoque, we have manufactured a 10 mm thick CFRP plate which will be waterjet cut to different shapes and sizes. These are then used to mount component from suspension, drivetrain, batteries etc. The carbon fibre weave was kindly donated by Tissa, the epoxy resin was sponsored by Astorit and we were allowed to use the facilities of Composites Lab at ETH Zurich. Further, we have laminated different sheets of CFRP and GFRP, plain or with Nomex honeycomb core. Next up are the moulds for the rear monocoque.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 13.03.2010 | Details: »»
Radio della Svizzera italiana interviews Paolo Ermanni
Radio della Svizzera italiana interviewed Prof. Paolo Ermanni within its program "Millevoci". Occasion for the interview was the 20th anniversary of the Centro Stefano Franscini.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 10.03.2010 | Details: »»
On Friday March 5th, Vice Chairman of Toyota Kazuo Okamoto visited the Centre of Structure Technologies. Professor Paolo Ermanni presented to him the various activities of our centre and the interaction between education, research and networking with industry and other research institutions. Mr. Okamoto visited the laboratories where PhD students showed him the on-going projects: he asked several questions on the projects and looked interested in our research activities. We thank Mr. Okamoto for his visit and we hope it will be a starting point for a close collaboration.
Author: T. Delpero | Date: 08.03.2010 | Details: »»
PhD position now available at the Centre of Structure Technologies
Today the design and manufacturing of highly integrated structural aerospace components made of fiber reinforced polymers is investigated in several European research projects. These projects mainly focus as well on the further development of design methods and on the improvement of the manufacturing process as on the improvement of the sustainability during manufacturing, use and withdrawal of aerospace components made of fiber reinforced polymers. The main focus of the ETH Zurich Centre of Structure Technologies in these projects (Maaximus, Clean Sky) is on the integration of functions and on the improvement of the robustness of the Liquid composite molding (LCM) resin injection process for aerospace components. LCM is a process technology for the manufacturing of lightweight structural composite components. Dry fiber preforms are placed in a mold, impregnated by injection of resin and finally cured to net shaped parts. The LCM technology bears high potential for automated production routes. Resin transfer molding (RTM) is a LCM process variant with all around rigid tooling.
PDFAuthor: F. Bachmann | Date: 28.02.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies teaches introductory course about Finite Element Modeling
The Centre of Structure Technologies is teaching an intensive 3 day course "Engineering Tool III: FEM Programs" to familiarize students in mechanical engineering with state of the art finite element tools. We are proud to be supported by Mr. Markus Dutly from CADFEM (Suisse) AG. Teaching consists of general lectures and introductions concerning finite element theory that are enriched by practical problem solving lessons using latest ANSYS software packages.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 26.02.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies' Raclette Evening
To compensate for this year's unusually cold winter, the members of the Centre of Structure Technologies will gather together this Friday evening for Raclette, a traditional Swiss meal in which cheese is melted and then scraped on to boiled potatoes. In Switzerland, raclette and fondue are highly recommended after a long day of skiing the Alps. The evening is organized by Simon Steiner.
»»Author: J. Wong | Date: 08.02.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies supports Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ)
The students of the Academic Motorsports Club Zürich (AMZ) have been designing and building cars for Formula Student since 2007. In their third season, they have finished top 10 in all major European events, against up to 80 universities from all over the world. The 2009 car was running on biofuel E85, but the new car will be even more green by running purely electric. „albula“, „maloja“ and „simplon“ are the names of the race cars that AMZ has designed and built. The team consists of students from ETH Zurich and several other universities. The project is financed by sponsors who donate parts, manufacturing and money. The cars have reached a very high level of performance and include features like a carbon fiber monocoque, automatic shifting and data acquisition with over 30 sensors. In 2010, the four-cylinder 600 ccm engine will be replaced by electric motors; instead of a fuel tank, there will be LiPo batteries. The chassis and suspension were optimized for increased stiffness and weight reduction. The toughest challenge will be the 22 km endurance race on a single battery charge. To increase performance, brake energy will be charged back into the batteries. For safety reasons, the electronics system will monitor all cell voltages and the batteries can be disconnected in case of emergency. AMZ is seeking cooperation with industry leaders to design and build the race car of the future. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our website. The Center of Structure Technologies at ETH Zurich give us the opportunity to manufacture composite parts and conduct physical tests just 200 m from our office. This will include making tooling and prepreg parts in the autoclave. Further, sandwich structures and load introduction techniques will be tested for strength and stiffness.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 08.02.2010 | Details: »»
"Deformation limits for corrugated cross-ply laminates" published in Composite Structures
The final version of this article is available online now.
Within this paper the strains of corrugated sheets with a circular corrugation pattern are derived. The derivation is based on an analytical shell model which has already been published in Composite Structures in the paper "Corrugated laminate homogenization model". Based on the strains and with the help of the maximal strain criterion the global strain limits for balanced and symmetric cross-ply laminates are determined. According parameter studies show the influence of the geometry and the influence of the lay-up on the strain limits. Also a more general parameter study for scalable geometries has been conducted.
Author: M. Winkler | Date: 05.02.2010 | Details: »»
End-term examinations in “Dimensioning I” and “Composites Technologies”
On Friday 29th of January, the written end term examinations on the subjects “Dimensioning I” and “Composites Technologies” are held. Both subjects are lectured by Prof. P. Ermanni from the Centre of Structure Technologies. This year, 278 students registered for the exam in “Dimensioning I”. For the exam in “Composites Technologies” which for the first time is held in written form, 37 students applied.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 29.01.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Tommaso Delpero
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Mr. Tommaso Delpero as a new PhD candidate in our group. He studied aeronautical engineering with a specialization on aeronautical structures at the Polytechnic of Milan. After graduating with a thesis about introduction of single crystal material in gas turbine bucket in collaboration with GE Oil&Gaz Italy, he worked for six months in the research and development office of Whirlpool in Varese. Mr. Delpero will focus on structural damping with piezoelectric shunt elements and its applications to space structures. We wish him all the best for his work at the Centre.
Author: B. Schläpfer | Date: 19.01.2010 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Francesco Previtali
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Mr. Francesco Previtali as a new PhD candidate in our group. Mr. Previtali studied aeronautical engineering with a specialisation on aeronautical structures at the Polytechnic of Milan, Italy. After graduating with a thesis about ballistic impacts onto helicopter components, he worked for one and an half year in Hamburg for an Airbus subcontractor. Mr. Previtali is now starting working on compliant structures applied to morphing wings, with particular focus on optimization methods for designing belt-ribs. We wish Mr. Previtali all the best for his work at the Centre.
PDFAuthor: Alberto Sánchez Cebrián | Date: 06.01.2010 | Details: »»
Themen für Bachelor-Arbeiten am Zentrum für Strukturtechnologien
Das Zentrum für Strukturtechnologien bietet Bachelor-Arbeiten in den Bereichen Process Technologies, Vibration Damping, Design Engineering und Structural Mechanics an. Interessenten können sich detailliert über das angehängte PDF informieren!
PDF »»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 31.12.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Tetiana Ponurovska
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Ms. Tetiana Ponurovska as a new PhD candidate in our group. Ms. Ponurovska studied mechanical engineering with a focus on Engineering Mechanics and received her Magister's degree from the Technical University Winnyzja (WNTU), Ucraine, in 2009 after concluding her thesis entitled “Topology Assessment of metallic surfaces due to plastic deformation”. Currently she starts investigating the interdependency between mechanical deformations and electrical properties of coaxial cables for data transfer on space craft in course of a research and development project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). This is will also be a starting point for her interdisciplinary Ph.D project which will further study the physical interactions and develop a methodology for finding optimum design solutions for such mechanical-electrical systems. We wish Ms. Ponurovska all the best for her work at the Centre.
PDFAuthor: G. Kress | Date: 18.12.2009 | Details: »»
Final presentation of Bachelor & Master theses
On the 10th, Dec., 9 students have held their final presentations of the bachelor and semester theses. We appreciate their efforts and wish them further success with their studies.
Author: Yi Liu | Date: 14.12.2009 | Details: »»
Daniel Weiss defended his PhD thesis
On the 9th of December, Daniel Weiss successfully defended his PhD work entitled: Geometry-Based Structural Optimization on CAD Specification Trees. The Centre of Structure Technologies congratulates him and wishes him all the best for the future.
Author: Grégoire Lepoittevin | Date: 10.12.2009 | Details: »»
The module ACP offers new opportunities in the area of modeling and evaluation of fiber-reinforced composites. It comprises several basic approaches which have been devised within the research at our centre.
PDF »»Author: G. Kress | Date: 01.12.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Manfred Quack
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Mr. Manfred Quack as a new PhD candidate in our group. Mr. Quack studied mechanical engineering with a focus on Fluid Science and Engineering and received his Master's degree from ETH in 2007 after concluding his Master's thesis entitled "Numerical simulations on the Flow Field in a Rocket Fuel Turbo-pump" at the University of Tokyo. His PhD project will focus on control aspects for adaptive structural systems like smart airfoils or morphing wings. We wish Mr. Quack all the best for his work at the Centre.
»»Author: David Keller | Date: 27.11.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies participated in the Annual Conference of the Berliner Kreis e.V.
The annual conference and the 26th meeting of members of the Berliner Kreis e.V. toke place on November 13th and 14th in cooperation with the Daimler AG at the research center Ulm in Eselsberg. Due to a pleasant high number of participants, interesting presentations by scientific staff and industry representatives allowed for a fruitful exchange of ideas in the area of product innovation. Different workshops enabled the participants to discuss topics related to mechatronic product innovation and life-cycle management in great detail.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 17.11.2009 | Details: »»
Meeting within EU Research project COALESCE2 at ETH Zurich
The Centre of Structures Technologies at ETH Zurich was host for the two days kick-off meeting for work packages 3 and 4 within the European Research project COALESCE2. COALESCE2 goal is to find more cost efficient solutions and concepts of Fixed Leading Edge wing structures for modern civil aircrafts. The project is a collaboration with leading European aircraft industry and research institutions. The aim of this meeting was to define the workshare between the partners and to specify steps within work packages 3 and 4 of the project. These work packages will implement new material and manufacturing technologies in two different design concepts for a leading edge. ETH Zurich responsibility is to perform design and stress work on these concepts. ETH Zurich was happy to welcome a total of 13 guests from all over Europe.
Author: O. Häfner | Date: 17.11.2009 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Mr. Giulio Molinari and Mr. Vitaly Dmitrie. Mr. Giulio Molinari obtained the double master degree in Space Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and the Politecnico di Torino, Italy through the ASP (Alta Scuola Politecnica) program, with a thesis about trajectory planning algorithms for unmanned aerial vehicles. Later, he worked as a researcher at the Politecnico di Milano on the STAR (Scientific Testbed for Autonomous Rotorcraft) project, also concerning autonomous flight capabilities. Vitaly Dmitriev is associated with the group of Prof. Jenny. Previously he studied mathematics at TU Kaiserslautern, Germany and in Moscow Power Engineering Institute, Russia. Their research work will be connected with the interdisciplinary project CHIRP, considering adaptive structural system such as smart airfoils and morphing wings.
Author: Max Fickel | Date: 06.11.2009 | Details: »»
The conference was held on October 26-28 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Grégoire presented his paper entitled “Topology study of segmented constrained-layer damping on a three-dimensional structure and optimization using Nelder-Mead simplex method”. His research and the new ideas presented in his paper contribute to our quest for innovative design solutions for structures with high damping rates which are needed in the transportation industries. His research leading to the presented results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program FP7 / 2007-2013 under grant agreement n°213371 (www.maaximus.eu).
PDF »»Author: G. Kress | Date: 05.11.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies participates in 20th ICAST Conference in Hong Kong
The Centre of Structure Technologies participated in the 20th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST) in Hong Kong. Prof. Paolo Ermanni chaired conference session 7 dealing with Mechatronics and Control aspects of Adaptive Structures. PhD student Mrs. Joanna Wong presented her work "The Characterization of Porous Materials from Particle-Stabilized Liquid Foams as Piezoeletric Space-Charge Electrets". PhD student Mr. Florian Bachmann presented his work "Design and Manufacturing of Monolithic Prestressed Piezoeletric Actuators".
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 27.10.2009 | Details: »»
Advanced Composite Structures at FAKUMA
The FAKUMA in Friedrichshafen (DE) is an international trade fair for plastics processing. With more than 1'705 exhibitors from 35 nations and more than 40'000 visitors (figures from 2008) it enjoys a reputation as a top event that is located close to Zürich. The focus of FAKUMA is injection molding and extrusion. Nevertheless there are interesting products for people working with advanced composites presented in the fields of tooling (heating, cooling, etc), raw materials, automation solutions or testing equipment. But also this year some interesting advanced composite structures could be seen. For example Formula Student racecar of the ETH students, the AMZ Simplon, was presented at the Inspire IRPD booth. This car has a carbon fiber reinforced monocoque cassis and some of the secondary structure components were made by the team in the Composite Lab of IMES-ST. Additional interesting advanced composite components were the carbon fiber reinforced rims of the Formula Student racecar of Hochschule Ulm and a lightweight front wing of a Porsche Carrera GT. The next FAKUMA will be from 18 to 22-October-2011 in Friedrichshafen.
Author: Markus Zogg | Date: 17.10.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies Welcomes Luigi Di Lillo
The Centre of Structure Technologies warmly welcomes Mr. Luigi Di Lillo as the newest addition to our group. Mr. Di Lillo completed his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics at the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy and obtained his Masters degree in Micro and Nanotechnology through a collaboration program between the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy), the Grenoble Insitute of Technology (INP) (France), and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland). He has also spent time as a researcher at Harvard University, (USA) and the Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa (Italy). In addition to science, our newest PhD student candidate is also passionate about soccer. We look forward to working with Luigi and wish him the best in his new endeavor.
Author: Joanna Wong | Date: 06.10.2009 | Details: »»
Gion Barandun defended his PhD thesis
Gion Barandun finished his PhD project "Injection Strategies for Liquid Composite Moulding Processes" on September 28th. The IMES-ST congratulates him and wishes him all the best for the future.
Author: M. Winkler | Date: 28.09.2009 | Details: »»
IMES-ST participates at CNTComp09
Hamburg, Sept. 20-23, 2009. On behalf of IMES-ST, PhD student Simon Steiner presented his latest research findings on Bucky papers at the 4th International Conference on Carbon Based Nanocomposites which focuses on the characterization, processing and application of carbonaceous nanoparticles.
His talk entitled “Effects of the Functionalisation of SWCNTs with short Oligoaramides on the Properties of Bucky Paper” showed that chemical modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes may result in considerable increases in the mechanical strength of Bucky papers. Preparation methods as well as measurements of other important material properties such as density, electrical conductivity and electromechanical actuation were presented and discussed.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 25.09.2009 | Details: »»
Projekt CITIUS has crossed the Rubicon. The bobsleigh pilots of the swiss national team received the new developed bobsleds in a ceremonial delivery at the ETH, in front of a wide range of journalists. For two years, a few institute's of ETH Zürich worked on several topics to improve the race time in the ice track. The Centre of Structure Technologies developed the hull of the bobsled, which then was manufacured in the composite workshop of RUAG Aerospace in Emmen. In October, the bob teams will test their newly received material for the upcoming olympic season. We wish them all the best.
»»Author: C. Zimmermann | Date: 18.09.2009 | Details: »»
Student Assistant positions available for Dimensioning I
The Centre of Structure Technologies is offering student assistant positions within the framework of the Dimensioning I lecture in HS09. We are looking for talented students that have successfully passed the Dimensioning I examination and want to broaden their horizon with teaching experience. Please contact Mr. Florian Bachmann if you are interested!
PDF »»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 15.09.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Alberto Sánchez Cebrián
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Alberto Sánchez Cebrián as a new PhD Student. After studying at ETSEIB in Barcelona (Catalonia/Spain) for 5 years and working at ETH for one semester at a test stand for vibration damping, he finished his Master in Mechanical engineering. Then he stayed at IMES-ST for another semester, working as assistant to acquire research experience. Finally he decided to pursue a PhD degree within the framework of the 'Clean sky' project. This project aims to decrease CO2 emissions and increase the ecological and economical efficiency of future passenger aircraft. We wish Alberto all the best for his engagement and we are very happy to have him here!
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 09.09.2009 | Details: »»
In the project with industry partner Rieter Automotive, different damping approaches for the potential utilization on plate structures are summarized. By means of a test rig which is developed in ST-group, these miscellaneous approaches are tested and compared. A trade-off will be made for the most interesting methods and according to research results they will be applied e.g. on automotive floor structures in the next project phases.
Author: Yi Liu | Date: 24.08.2009 | Details: »»
Corrugated sheets possess elastic anisotropy to a much higher degree than flat plates made even from the most highly anisotropic materials. The new model, elaborated by G. Kress and M. Winkler, can quickly identify parameters for design solutions and also save much numerical effort in the analysis of large structures including flexible skins. The manuscript marks a starting point for the thesis work, Analysis of Compliant Corrugated Structures, of Ph.D. candidate Michael Winkler.
PDFAuthor: G. Kress | Date: 18.08.2009 | Details: »»
Swiss National Briefing on Smart Materials and Systems
The development of new smart materials and systems selectively and reversibly changing their properties on external input offers innovative possibilities to improve the functionality, performance, and reliability of technical systems. On behalf of the swiss innovation promotion agency CTI EMPA invites to a seminar on future research programs in the field of smart materials.
PDF »»Author: D. Keller | Date: 13.08.2009 | Details: »»
The Centre of Structure Technologies is partner in the European FP7 research programme MAAXIMUS. In this framework the design and manufacturing of advanced structural lightweight components for future aircraft structures are investigated. The research focus of the centre lies on the integration of damping devices in fuselage sections to control vibrations and acoustics during service. Recently, the project’s homepage was put online.
»»Author: M. Fickel | Date: 07.08.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies accomplishes Dimensioning I exam
The Centre of Structure Technologies offers a great variety of lectures to the students and is responsible for the education in Dimensioning I in Bachelor level. Dimensioning I is a mandatory course for ETHZ's mechanical engineering students and covers the fundamental principles of dimensioning of mechanical parts. 30 students participated in this semester's examination.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 06.08.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Oliver Häfner
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Oliver Häfner as a new PhD candidate. With his excellent industrial background in aircraft design from AIRBUS and his experience in structural analysis and optimization gained at EMPA he will work on the European Research project COALESCE. There he will investigate leading edge devices for future airplanes. We wish him all the best for his work at the Centre.
»»Author: D. Keller | Date: 03.08.2009 | Details: »»
Student Assistant position available
Within the framework of the EU project DREAM, the Centre of Structure Technologies and EMPA Duebendorf are looking for a student assistant. Foreseen work involves constructioning of a test stand and experimental studies. See the attached pdf for detailed information and contacts.
PDFAuthor: F. Bachmann | Date: 29.07.2009 | Details: »»
EAP actuated airship accomplished maiden flight
The worldwide first EAP actuated airship had its maiden flight in Duebendorf at the Empa. The model airship is propelled by bending its body and tail fin like a fish and thus “swimming” through the air. As actuators, electro-active polymers (EAP), more specifically dielectric elastomers, are used. This type of actuator has a variety of advantages that make it unique, such as large strains, light-weight and a simple structure which allows for a wide variety of possible designs.
»»Author: C. Jordi | Date: 27.07.2009 | Details: »»
DREAM meeting of the Swiss Cluster at EPF Lausanne
The Centre of Structure Technology participates in the European research project DREAM (ValiDation of Radical Engine Archtitecture SysteMs) which aims to significantly reduce environmental impact of commercial air traffic. Within the meeting in Lausanne (EPFL) of the Swiss Cluster consisting of EPFL, EMPA Dübendorf, Busch Composites and the Centre of Structure Technologies, the project progress and the new design demands for a RTM mould for composite turbo-machine parts have been discussed.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 16.07.2009 | Details: »»
Big steps towards the new laboratory of the SMS/Compliant Systems group at Empa Dübendorf
Big steps in building up the new laboratory of the SMS/Compliant Systems group have been achieved, since the new room for the laboratory was finished by the end of June. The infrastructure is being set up, so that first experiments will be performed soon. The new laboratory contains a set-up which allows flexible and fast experiments with compliant structures, using a 3 layer concept: one layer for the actuation, one for fixing the specimen, and one layer for the meas-urement of strains and displacements. For the measurement of strains and displacements a new 2D-optical measurement system is used fixed in a flexible frame. The actuation will be realized using a linear actuation device, which is mounted on an optical table. The final challenge to start the first experiments will be to implement the controlling and evaluating software for the measurement equipment.
PDFAuthor: O.Haefner | Date: 09.07.2009 | Details: »»
Innovative RTM Tooling Concept for Advanced Aircraft Structures
Dino Huber designed a new RTM mould concept for straight C-profile manufacturing. The innovative tooling approach was presented at the MAAXIMUS Mini-barrel Preliminary Design Review held from 09.-10.2009 at St. Cloud, France. MAAXIMUS is a European FP7 research project in which design and manufacturing of advanced structural lightweight components for future aircraft structures are investigated. The focus lies on the integration of damping devices in fuselage sections to control vibrations and acoustics during service. Within the project the Centre of Structure Technologies is cooperating with Dassault Aviation (DASSAV) and Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM.)
»»Author: M. Fickel | Date: 30.06.2009 | Details: »»
Differential Scanning Calorimeter with Cloudpoint Detection
In the course of his student project, Christian Starchl built an add-on module to the institute's Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), that allows to optically detect the cloudpoint of a material (transition from transparent to cloudy or vice versa on heating or cooling). The sample is illuminated with an infrared diode or laser light and both the transmitted and scattered light intensities are recorded as a function of temperature. This optical measurement runs in parallel with the DSC's standard heat flow measurement and is performed on a sample size of some 20 mg. Crystallization of polymers from the melt can readily be detected and correlates with heat flow measurements. However, the main application of the device will be the detection of liquid-liquid demixing in binary mixtures, where heat effects are typically very small and easily disappear in the base line drift.
»»Author: S. Busato | Date: 23.06.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies participates in 14. ANSYS Conference and CADFEM User's meeting
The Centre of Structure Technologies participated with 4 contributions in the 14. ANSYS Conference and CADFEM User's meeting. The conference took place at the Hotel Zuerichberg and was held on the 11th and 12th of June 2009. Michael Winkler, Carlo Zimmermann, Gregoire Lepoittevin and Florian Bachmann presented latest results of their research.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 22.06.2009 | Details: »»
Impressions of the Lightweight Structures Laboratory
The spring semester has come to an end. The test series of the manufactured bending beams have been finished and the students have handed in their technical reports. Here's a short movie
showing some impressions of the structural tests at the Center of Structure Technologies. For more information about the Lightweight Structures Laboratory, check out the following link.
News entry Strukturlabor 2009
Strukturlabor 2009 Impressions Movie
Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 15.06.2009 | Details: »»
Compliant group developed compliant gripper for a handling robot
During the Bachelor thesis of Flurin Heini a compliant gripper for a handling robot was developed. Handling robot interacts with humans without any additional security devices. The compliant solution for a robotic gripper confirms the expected advantages of compliant mechanisms and structures, such as fewer parts and low costs. It reduces the number of parts and the weight significantly, the manufacturing costs are reduced to a fraction of those of a conventional gripper. Finally, it also demonstrates the performance allowing a more precise actuation due to the lack of backlash and abrasion.
»»Author: Michael Sauter | Date: 15.06.2009 | Details: »»
Swiss Television interviewed Prof. Paolo Ermanni. Possible reasons for the crash of Air France flight 447 from Brasil to France were discussed.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 02.06.2009 | Details: »»
Modern racecar in the Composite Laboratory
During the last weeks the Composite Laboratory of the Centre of Structure Technologies was pretty crowded. The students of the ETH "Formula Hybrid Team" (www.formula-hybrid.ethz.ch) produced the body panels for their racecar. Starting from a positive shape they first laminated the negative tools, which they in a second step used for manufacturing the final basalt fiber reinforced body panels. This week Tuesday the car had its successful rollout. We congratulate Daniel Jemora, who is responsible for the body panels, and his colleagues to the successful manufacturing of the components within the very short time available and whish the whole team a successful racing season.
Author: Markus Zogg | Date: 29.05.2009 | Details: »»
Analog implementation of switching shunt presented at DREAM meeting
The Centre of Structure Technology participates in the European research project DREAM (ValiDation of Radical Engine Archtitecture SysteMs) which aims to significantly reduce environmental impact of commercial air traffic. Within the meeting in Porrentruy (Composites Busch facility) of the Swiss Cluster consisting of EPFL, EMPA Dübendorf Busch Composites and the Centre of Structure Technologies, the analog implementation of a switching shunt has been presented. Switching shunts are used in conjunction with piezoelectric actuators to efficiently damp structural vibrations. First tests with the developed system were very encouraging. On the picture you can see a photo of the first shunt prototype.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 29.05.2009 | Details: »»
Season Finale of Survivor - Lightweight Structures Laboratory: “Outdesign, outbuild, outlast”
After an entire semester of facing difficult challenges, overcoming disappointment, and meeting harsh criticism the thirty bachelor students of the Lightweight Structures Laboratory course gathered today for the final time on the island of the CLA building to determine who among them had outdesigned, outbuilt, and outlasted the others. Their task was simple: Build a beam to bear the load of 10 kN out of aluminum, steel, wood, or glass fibre reinforced plastic. Do it within design specifications, do it using the least weight possible, and do it better than the other groups. Intuition favoured the two steel groups (1 and 2) to win; iron alloy is traditionally used in high strength applications in construction, but progressive supporters of the new fibre reinforced plastics technologies anticipated that the low density and anisotropic properties of the composite material would give the two the glass fibre reinforced plastic groups (Groups 7 and 8) a competitive advantage. The groups working with aluminum alloys (Groups 3 and 4), a favourite material of the aerospace industry for its high strength to weight ratio was also a considered force to be reckoned with, while those working with wood (Groups 5 and 6), the only purely organic and natural material in the competition, had to struggle to find an old-fashion solution to the problem. In the first round of eliminations, each beam had to pass strict examinations to ensure that all the dimensional specifications were met. Remarkably and for the first time this semester, all eight teams survived to meet the next challenge in which 10 kN, the weight equivalent to about 9 average professional American football NFL players, was applied to the centre of the beam. At this point in the challenge, Groups 1, 4, 6, and 7 were abruptly eliminated from the game as their structures collapsed below the required load. Unexpectedly, the surviving beams from groups 2, 3, 5, and 8 represented each of the four materials, proving to the audience that these materials were all acceptable for construction, and that design and quality workmanship separate between the success and failure of structures. In the surprising outcome, the strongest beam, designed and built by David Meier, Florian Hänni, Daniel Aeschlimann, and Lukas Studerus (Group 5) and supported by Simon Steiner was made out of wood. It outlasted the other beams by withstanding a maximum load of 12.35811 kN before breaking and weighed a total of 939 g. However, the title for the best lightweight construction goes to Nicolas Ammann, Flavio Gohl, and Ueli Wendelspiess of Group 8, supported by Carlo Zimmermann, whose glass fibre reinforced plastic beam was 30% lighter than the wooden winner, weighing a mere 637 g and supporting a maximum of 11.144 kN. The winners were awarded with warm feelings of accomplishment. Special recognition should be extended to Pascal Preiswerk, Reto Matter, Benjamin Schneuwly, and Reto Kuhn of Group 6, supported by Simon Steiner, for most accurately predicting the performance of their beams using finite element modeling, and Linus Mettler, Philipp Rothemund, and Markus Häfner of Group 3, supported by Gregoire Lepotevin, for showing the most improvement. Detailed results can be found on the course website. We congratulate the students for their hard work and impressive results. Final reports documenting the projects are due Friday, May 29, 2009.
»»Author: Joanna C. H. Wong | Date: 19.05.2009 | Details: »»
Final presentation of student theses
Today, 25 students gave their final presentations of their bachelor and semester theses. We would like thank them for their effort and wish them a successful completion of their work until the end of the semester.
»»Author: M. Winkler | Date: 14.05.2009 | Details: »»
In current design processes, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools, along with structural optimization, have become essential elements to provide efficient and reliable structures. However, the required iterative process of adjusting steps between simulation and design engineers is still a time-consuming task. Extending the idea of parameter variation on CAD models with the addition and removal of entire geometrical features, automatic topology variation on CAD structures is introduced. However, applying such geometry variation implies further considerations regarding a fully automated optimization loop such as accurate CAD build-up, update-stability, high quality batch meshing and a rapidly increasing number of free parameters. The presented project aims at full automation of a geometry-based optimization loop for optimum structure generation using CATIA V5 and LS-DYNA. The concept is applied to pedestrian safety considerations, analyzing different engine hood topologies regarding their head impact performance. The focus of the presentation is set on the concept's applicability to industrial processes. Hence, solutions regarding automated CAD-FE transition for evaluation are discussed as well as general limitations of CAD-based topology optimization. In particular, the demanding task of batch meshing for varying topologies is addressed. See linked abstract.
PDF »»Author: Daniel Weiss | Date: 04.05.2009 | Details: »»
Alberto Belloli defended his PhD thesis
Alberto Belloli concluded his PhD project “Methods and Techniques in Composite Design for Structural Vibration suppression via Shunted Piezoelectric Elements” with the successful defense on April 29th. His work did not only demonstrate the damping effectiveness of shunted piezo-elements for selected vibration modes in complex composite structures, it also provides a variety of valuable scientific tools and methods. The IMES-ST congratulates Alberto on his graduation and wishes him all the best for his work as director of research and development in his family’s enterprise Belloli SA, Grono.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 30.04.2009 | Details: »»
Center of Structure Technologies launches KTI project with Oerlikon Space AG
The Center of Structure Technologies runs a new project in collaboration with Oerlikon Space AG, a world leading manufacturer of space components. Along with the manufacturing of payload fairings for different launchers, Oerlikon Space designs and manufactures lightweight structures and thermally stable platforms for space missions. Goal of the project is to develop an optimization software for the automation of the preliminary design process of composite spacecraft structures. Part of the Center of Structure Technologies is to generate efficient procedures for an automated evaluation of the structure in order to improve the spacecraft design with reasonably effort as well as the implementation of the algorithms. The project is co-financed by KTI.
Picture: ESA
Author: B. Schlaepfer | Date: 24.04.2009 | Details: »»
COALESCE2 FP7 project official start on April 1 established
The acronym COALESCE stands for the project title "Cost Efficient Advanced Leading Edge Structure". The medium scale FP7 European Framework project placed within the transportation sector will be carried out by a consortium of nine Partners, where SAAB AB (Sweden) takes the role of leader. A short popular summary of the project theme can be downloaded. It is thanks to Florian Hürlimann that the Centre of Structure Technologies has become aware of the project and joined the consortium. Our work packages will be lead by Gerald Kress and Oliver Häfner, now at EMPA Dübendorf, will join the project as one of the two foreseen researchers.
Author: Yi Liu | Date: 06.04.2009 | Details: »»
Design and Manufacturing of Piezoelectric Actuators
Within his Bachelor thesis Florian Haenni investigates possible process routes for the manufacturing of monolithic piezoeletric actuators. Damage tolerance and strain allowables shall be enhanced together with better structural integration behaviour. Electrical contacting is ensured by Inkjet-printed copper electrodes on a polyimid foil which leads to improved structural performance of the later composite part.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 03.04.2009 | Details: »»
Yi Liu delivers talk at the Sampe Europe International Conference (SEICO) in Paris
Ph.D. candidate Yi Liu presented the paper "Design and Application of a Test Stand" at the 30th International Jubilee Conference and Forum under the Motto "Composites - Innovative Materials for Smarter Solutions" on March 25. The new sophisticated test fixture for exciting and investigating vibrations of test specimens and small structures plays an important role in our current and future research activities in the field of smart damping methods, which is coordinated by co-author Markus Zogg.
PDF »»Author: G. Kress | Date: 31.03.2009 | Details: »»
Paolo Ermanni held a plenary presentation at 16th SPIE Annual International Symposium in San Diego
Title: Beyond PZT-Based Actuators: Bridging Material Science and Engineering.
Smart Structures/NDE 2009, 16th annual International Symposium San Diego, California, USA 9-12- March 2009
The handout can be downloaded here! [9MB]
Author: Paolo Ermanni | Date: 28.03.2009 | Details: »»
Interimpresentation of Student Thesis
Yesterday, 28 students presented the current state of their ongoing Bachelor thesis, term projects, and Master thesis. We would like to thank for their endeavours and wish them a successful continuation of their projects.
»»Author: D. Keller | Date: 20.03.2009 | Details: »»
Move from LEO B floor to LEO C floor accomplished
Finally, the Centre of Structure Technologies is now located on a single floor. After some small structural measures the new offices on the C floor are now furnished. The new work places of all members can be seen on this webpage. Some remaining adjustements will be made during the next weeks. Special thanks go to Anke Kleint for the great organization and surveillance.
Author: D. Keller | Date: 17.03.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Carlo Zimmermann
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Carlo Zimmermann. He studied Mechanical Engineering at ETH and concluded his studies with a Masterthesis Optimierung Dentalimplantat. He will continue the engagement of the Centre in the project CITIUS. We wish Carlo Zimmermann all the best for his work at the Centre.
»»Author: D. Keller | Date: 17.03.2009 | Details: »»
Daniela Suppiger accomplished PhD defense
Daniela Suppiger has successfully completed her research project "Carbon Nanotube Actuators based on solid Electrolytes" with her PhD defense on March, 6th 2009. We congratulate her for graduation and wish her all the best for her new job at Ruag Aerospace.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 10.03.2009 | Details: »»
Structural Integration of Piezoelectric Actuators
Within the framework of the EU research project DREAM, the structural integration of piezoelectric actuators is being investigated. Different surface treatments of polyimid foils have been tested together with our project partners from Busch Composites at their facility in Porrentruy.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 05.03.2009 | Details: »»
Within the restructuring of the laboratory, the orientation for new emploees and students, as well as the precepts have been updated and matched to the actual needs. Most new labor has been briefed succesfully.
In the near future we will setup our new machine shop with some manualy operated machines. We will achieve more independence from external suppliers for fast adjustments and common tasks.
Author: T. Heinrich | Date: 04.03.2009 | Details: »»
Fixation devices for kompliant.ch laboratory manufactured
For the laboratory within the kompliant.ch initiative at EMPA Dübendorf the 4 devices to fix the specimen for experiments on compliant structures have been manufactured. The basic idea for the new laboratory is the experimental measurement of strains, forces and displacement of compliant structures. The experiments can be controlled by forces or displacements. A modular concept has been designed to allow a fast and effective realization of experiments. The concepts mainly includes the subdivision of the experimental assembly into three layers: one layer for actuation, one layer for specimen fixation and one layer to analyse the behaviour by an optical measurement system based on Digital Image correlation (DIC). First experiments are to be performed for compliant structures being developed in the framework of the kompliant.ch initiative within interesting projects, especially on laparoscopic instruments (endoscopic surgery).
»»Author: Oliver Haefner | Date: 24.02.2009 | Details: »»
CITIUS Bob sleigh successful at Swiss Championships
The Bob sleigh partly developed at the Centre of Structure Technologies within the framework of the CITIUS project has been successfully tested at the Swiss Championships in St. Moritz. We congratulate the 4 drivers Gregor Baumann, Linus Hofmann, Simon Reumer, Dominik Weber and Thomas Kern for his outstanding engineering work!
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 14.02.2009 | Details: »»
New static tensile tester arrived at IMES-ST
The static tensile tester with a maximum load capacity of 5 kN is specially equipped to characterise the mechanical properties of delicate thin film samples. It complements the Centre of Structure Technologies’ present 100 kN tensile tester enabling us to accurately characterise small parts and material samples. It will be brought into service within the next two weeks.
Author: S. Steiner | Date: 11.02.2009 | Details: »»
In the framework of an European FP7 research project the design and manufacturing of advanced structural lightweight components for future aircraft structures are investigated. The focus lies on the integration of damping devices in fuselage sections to control vibrations and acoustics during service. The approach poses several research challenges which have to be solved in order to sucessfully introduce the technology in a demonstrator platform. On January 14th, 2009 the mini-barrel team meeting was held at ETH Zurich. The research of the next project phase was coordinated with our project partner Dassault Aviation.
»»Author: M. Fickel | Date: 10.02.2009 | Details: »»
Our new welcome website is finally on-line. Special thanks go to our excellent web-programmer Alex Hugger for his great job.
Author: D. Keller | Date: 05.02.2009 | Details: »»
Indoor Cart Race in Spreitenbach
Congratulations to our ST racer Gerald Kress for his excellent third place at the indoor cart race in Spreitenbach. Winner was the favoured alumnus Niccolo Pini.
Author: D. Keller | Date: 05.02.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies accomplishes Dimensioning I exam
The Centre of Structure Technologies offers a great variety of lectures to the students and is responsible for the education in Dimensioning I in Bachelor level. Dimensioning I is a mandatory cours for ETHZ's mechanical engineering students and covers the fundamental principles of dimensioning of mechanical parts. 239 students participated in this semster's examination.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 05.02.2009 | Details: »»
Third inofficial ST skiing day
As traditional social event at the Centre of Structure Technologies the skiing day 2009 took place in Schönried. Some active members and alumni of the centre enjoyed skiing, the beautiful weather, fondue, and cake.
Author: D. Keller | Date: 13.01.2009 | Details: »»
Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Oliver Haefner
The Centre of Structure Technologies welcomes Oliver Haefner at the Insitute. Oliver studied mechanical engineering at ETHZ. After graduation he worked 3 years for Airbus Industries in Bremen. His focus was the structural design of trailing edges for commercial aircraft. He is now a member of the Compliant Structures group. We wish Oliver all the best for his research and a good start at the Centre of Structure Technologies.
»»Author: F. Bachmann | Date: 01.10.2008 | Details: »»
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