Longevity

The research focus "longevity" encompasses the long-term structural integrity and functionality of living organisms and technical systems. Plants are especially suitable biological models for technical applications because they have evolved various functional principles to control failure. Damage prevention includes the formation of gradient transitions and the ability to react structurally and mechanically to environmental stresses and thus to withstand higher loads. Damage management ranges from self-sealing and subsequent self-healing to the creation of fracture sites ensuring a controlled disintegration of materials systems. Moreover, failure tolerance of an entire system can be increased by the formation of redundant structures.

Coordinators Research Area C
Prof. Dr. Chris Eberl, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe

Projects within Research Area C

• Abscission and self-repair in biological and artificial materials systems
• Training and self-healing by interface snapping mechanisms
• Self‐sealing by orchestrating chemical and mechanical mechanisms and processes as basis for self‐healing in livMatS
• Embedded (micro)‐fluidic networks in soft materials systems: A route to adaptive processes, selfregulation and self‐repair
• Hierarchically Programmable Materials with Propagating Stimulus Responsive Elements and Metamaterial Ultrastructuring
  This project is a cooperation between research areas B and C.
• Training Materials like Muscles
  This project is a cooperation between research areas B and C.

Compact Projects 2021 - finished

• Fatigue in energy-harvesting mechanical metamaterials
  This project is a cooperation among research areas A and C. Junior Research Group leader: Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Compact Projects 2020 - finished

• Twist-to-bend ratios of petioles and transition zones with different shapes and tapering modes
  Principal investigator: Dr. Olga Speck

Booster Projects 2021 - finished

• “Trained plants”: Responses of plant leaves of Pilea peperomioides to various mechanical stimuli
  Principal investigator: Dr. Olga Speck
• A Soft Biomimetic Actuator Inspired by the Self-Sealing Motion of Succulent Plants
  This project is a cooperation between research area C and Demonstrators. Principal investigators: Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck and Dr. Olga Speck
  Responsible Investigator: Prof. Dr. Claas Müller
• Reliability of mechanical metamaterials
  Principal investigators: Prof. Dr. Lars Pastewka, Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko, and Prof. Dr. Chris Eberl
• Heterogeneity as an ally against defects
  Principal investigator: Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko
• (Self-)adaptive energy-autonomous materials systems for building hulls inspired by hygroscopically actuated plant structures
  This project is a cooperation between research areas B and C. Principal Investigators: Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe
• Novel Materials Systems for Applications in Biomimetic Architecture and Building Construction
  This project is a cooperation among research areas B and C and Demonstrators. Principal Investigators: Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe