Steinbeis Innovation Center Materials and Surface Technology

The projects worked on at the Steinbeis Innovation Center for Materials and Surface Technology include applied research, scientific support for research initiatives in the field of materials technology, the development of innovative testing methods, and the running of seminars and staff training on materials, lightweight construction, corrosion, and surface engineering.

Areas covered:

• Corrosion and corrosion testing
• Materials and material testing
• Tribology (friction, wear, and lubrication, wear protection layers)
• Lightweight construction materials and light metals
• Surface engineering (CVD/PVD coatings, anodizing, chemical and galvanic techniques, residual stress testing)
• Testing of coatings, development and validation
• Optimization of materials and surface technology for different types of applications
• The aeronautical industry
• Medical technology
• The metalworking industry
• The automotive industry
• Case study database of “corrosion and surface engineering” (program for storing reports, damage protocols, results of testing) 

Material testing

• Tensile testing machine (including EN ISO standard 6892, DIN standard 50125):
• Universal testing: Zwick T1464 with fine strain measurement
• Universal testing: Zwick Z050 with fine strain measurement capable of settings between -60°C and +180°C, video analysis
• Cupping tests: Erichsen (including DIN EN ISO standard 20482)
• Notch impact bending test: PDE impact testing machine (Schenk), 300 J working capacity
• Hardness testing based on Brinell, Vickers, Rockwell
• Low-load hardness testing devices: Zwick, Zeiss
• Crack testing (electromagnetic crack inspection, dye penetrant method, ultrasonic testing)
• Thermoanalysis (DSC): Mettler

Corrosion testing

• Light metals, steel and coatings/overlays, component (including ISO standard 9227, VDA621-415)
• Alternate immersion testing (incl. EN 3212, ASTM G44)
• Condensed water testing (DIN standard 50017)
• Corrosion on components subject to electronic loads (incl. patent DE102010026662)
• Electrochemical measurement (incl. DIN standards 50905, 50918, and 50919)
• Potentiostatic and potentiodynamic measurement
• Galvanic corrosion behavior (e.g. fiber composites, material combinations)
• Crevice corrosion research
• Filiform corrosion testing (incl. EXCO testing, EN 3665)
• Intercrystalline corrosion (incl. DIN EN ISO 3651)
• Media testing
• Stress corrosion cracking and tests involving stress corrosion cracking (incl. ISO standard 7539, DIN standard 50915, DIN standard EN 14101, DIN standard 50922, ASTM G47)
• Hydrogen-induced damage to high-strength materials (hydrogen brittle fracture, including DIN standard 50969)

Climatic chamber

• Various climatic chambers, including
  • -70°C to +180°C with regulated air moisture
  • RT up to 300°C
  • Temperature shock testing
  • Xenon UV irradiation with condensed water

Testing of coatings

• Mandrel bend testing
• Cross-cut testing
• Erichsen cupping
• Corrosion and media stress
• Coat thickness testing
• Scratch hardness (including ISO standard 1518)

Tribology testing

• Falex testing
• Pin-disk wear testing (incl. ASTM G99) (slide abrasion)
• SRV testing under climatic and gas loads (fretting wear)
• Linear tribometer under climatic and gas loads (oscillating wear)

Qualitative and quantitative analysis

• Scanning electron microscopy and EDX
• GDOS/GDOES on the chemical composition of materials and coastings/overlays
• Light and laser microscopy: Zeiss, Leitz, and Olympus
• Metallography
• Zeiss spectro-photometer (reflectance measurement, 380 - 2500 nm)
• Reflectance characteristics of surfaces such as coatings
• Residual stress testing
• Surface topography

Steinbeis Transfer Magazine

• Less Friction, More Efficiency (Transfer 2/2021)
  Steinbeis testing system helps companies optimize energy efficiency