Research field "Lightweight Construction in Civil Engineering"

High-strength structures made of fibers and textiles instead of heavy bricks, concrete and steel is, in a nutshell, the formula for reducing the weight of building elements. Chemnitz researchers from the "Lightweight Construction in Civil Engineering" research area at the Institute of Lightweight Structures at Chemnitz University of Technology (TU Chemnitz) have developed a multifunctional façade system based on renewable raw materials such as flax fibers, which are embedded in a resin system. As a sandwich, these layers enclose a core of corrugated cardboard compartments. Integrated light elements turn the façade into a playable monitor. This bio façade was created in a project between the TU and Chemnitz-based companies Richter & Hess Verpackungssysteme and FiberTech Construction.

The demonstrator of an interactive honeycomb bridge made of GRP elements (glass fiber reinforced plastic), which originally spans the Chemnitz River as a 2.50 meter wide and 32 meter long curved pedestrian path, is one of the other results of the research. In the project, which was also realized with industrial partners, lightweight honeycomb modules made of textile-reinforced hybrid materials were used for the first time for load-bearing structures in a bridge construction.

Current developments are also focusing on street furniture and other bionically shaped multifunctional elements made of textile and carbon concrete.

What is special about the lightweight construction discipline in Chemnitz is the close combination of expertise from materials science, mechanical engineering and civil engineering. When the institute develops a new material, it also considers the appropriate manufacturing process. This combination gives the Chemnitz team a unique position in the German research landscape.