Overview: Mobility & Production

Environmental stress and scarcity of raw materials necessitate rethinking mobility and production. Researchers in the Mobility & Production Field of Expertise at TU Graz focus on this complex area. They investigate novel vehicle technologies and drive systems as well as information and data transmission for traffic control and positioning. They also develop more economical and time-saving product manufacturing processes that allow for design changes and novel materials without loss of quality. Research results of TU Graz deliver ground breaking solutions to today’s challenges in terrestrial and air traffic, aerospace and production engineering and management. 

• Researchers of the BISS project (Components for Integral Safety Simulation) investigate the benefit of modern assistance systems in vehicles, for example, Lane Assist and Front Collision warning systems, based on real accidents.
• Researchers elaborate hybrid concepts not only for passenger cars, but also for two-wheelers and off-road vehicles.
• In the frame of the Smart Production Graz initiative, researchers within a cross-discipline co-operation work on the topic of production with a focus on mobility, in order to introduce Industry 4.0 through concrete applications, to improve development and processing of lightweight materials in vehicle construction and to apply additive manufacturing of serial components.
• Researchers from TU Graz and HyCentA (a research institution of TU Graz) have jointly developed a hydrogen vehicle for Austria that is also licensed for use on public roads.

Participants:
over 70 researchers from seven faculties of TU Graz

Engine and Powertrain

• Analysis of the thermodynamic working process of combustion engines
• Engine development and construction
• Development and trial of simulation tools
• Development of measuring and testing technology
• Propulsion systems
• Driving dynamics
• Development of fuel surrogates
• Calculation and measurement of emissions and air pollution
• Identification of emission factors, emission prognoses, air quality measurements, gathering data regarding the spread of pollution, advice with environmental sustainability declaration
• Application of alternative energies

Active and passive safety

• Theoretical and experimental driving dynamics
• Modelling and simulation of chassis components
• Wheel-rail contact
• Innovative propulsion systems
• CAD-CAE technologies
• Accident research
• Biomechanics
• Integrated vehicle safety
• Occupant and co-driver protection
• Development of new testing methods
• New development methods

Electromobility

• Drive concepts for electric and hybrid vehicles and their implementation
• Regulation of electric vehicles
• Energy concepts for electric vehicles
• Comparison of different hybrid concepts
• Regulation of energy flow with different hybrid concepts
• Driving dynamics of electric vehicles
• Human-machine interface and operating concepts
• Challenges for production
• Safety of electric vehicles
• Battery safety
• Energy supply in electric vehicles
• Fuel cell development, monitoring and control
• Accelerated stress-, safety and runaway tests
• Hydrogen: Component development, storage and safety issues
• Fuel reformer

Production and Process Technology 

• Additive manufacturing (powder and wire based)
• Forming technologies and precision machining
• Non-circular grinding of powertrain parts
• Materials modelling and selection
• Process design and simulation
• Joining technologies and failure analysis
• Material-flow planning and simulation
• Agility and data security in production (smartfactory@tugraz)
• Energy and resource management in production
• Industrial engineering, factory and location planning
• Business IT and optimisation methods
• Systems engineering, modelling and simulation