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Corroded copper tube
Scientific assessment of damage mechanisms is a prerequisite for the safety of components, devices, systems and buildings. The researchers at BAM want to understand the behaviour of component materials in structures under stress. Many tests examine stress on components in order to design them to withstand maximum stress levels over the course of their intended service life. The analysis of interferential stress is particularly demanding. Cracks in buildings are often the result of a combination of thermal, mechanical and corrosive stress.
Surface of a fracture after LCF test
(Low Cycle Fatigue)
Practical tests and computer simulations complement one another. A simulation can contribute to the understanding of phenomena and provides a good basis for the development of durable materials and components which can withstand ambient and extreme environmental stress conditions.
Knowledge covering damage mechanisms is used in damage analysis and vice versa. Irrefutable damage analysis requires comprehensive technical knowledge and extensive experience in the analysis of complex technical systems and buildings.
Part of a fire door after a test
Catastrophic damage is often the result of a chain of unfavourable events. Therefore interdisciplinary co-operation is required in most damage analysis cases – this is definitely a prerequisite that BAM meets. The identification of cause regularly leads to new questions, thus to new research requirements. Newfound results from damage analyses frequently contribute to the creation of policies in order to prevent similar damage in future. After all, "Experience is the teacher of all things".