Prof. Dr. Thomas Tröster

The shortage of natural resources and the need to reduce energy consumption and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions are current global challenges. To meet international climate protection goals, new technical solutions are necessary. Lightweight construction plays an important role in this context, as reducing the mass of moving components decreases both energy demand and material usage. In road-based mobility, for example, lightweight design leads to lower driving resistance, which reduces fuel consumption or increases the range of battery electric vehicles.

The research group Lightweight Construction in Automobiles (LiA) focuses on developing technical solutions for lightweight vehicle design. The main areas of research include simulation, method development, and the development of materials and processes for new lightweight concepts. These can be based on individual materials such as high strength metals or fiber reinforced plastics, or on hybrid material systems, or on components produced through additive manufacturing using powder materials.