Research

The further development of modern machines and drive systems is taking place between the conflicting priorities of ever more far-reaching environmental requirements on the one hand and the pursuit of further improvements, such as the consumption of resources and ease of operation, on the other. The development of new drive concepts for machines is therefore dominated by the improvement of efficiency and compactness.

The continuous increase in the power density of turbomachinery is leading to ever-increasing demands on the hydrodynamic plain bearings used in these machines. In particular, the circumferential speeds and static load values of the bearings continue to increase, while at the same time the demands on their dynamic stiffness and damping properties are also rising.

This results in higher stresses on the engine parts and less favorable thermal conditions at the sliding points, which place special demands on the tribological design of the components.

The ITR focuses its research on tribological experiments, tribological simulation and lubricant rheology.