For his dissertation “Development of innovative textile-based adaptive fiber-reinforced plastics with shape memory alloys”, Dr.-Ing. Moniruddoza Ashir from ITM was awarded the Innovation Prize of the Industrieclub Sachsen 2020. The prize is endowed with 5,000 EUR and is awarded annually to a graduate of TU Dresden.

Dr. Ashir began his studies in the non-consecutive degree programme Textile and Ready-made Garment Technology at ITM in 2011 as a DAAD scholarship holder from Bangladesh. He successfully completed his master’s thesis on the topic of “Development of hybrid woven fabric structures for lightweight applications”. With these innovative developments, he won the Advancement Award of the Walter Reiners Foundation for Master’s thesis in 2014 and the ITMA Research & Innovation Excellence Award as runner-up in 2015.

Objectives of the dissertation

In this dissertation, alternative approaches in terms of innovative textile-based adaptive FRP with structurally integrated shape memory alloys are designed, implemented, tested and evaluated in comparison with conventional technical solutions. Therefore, a multitude of previously unsolved conceptual as well as textile- and material-specific issues had to be addressed and analyzed in depth. They include the development of novel approaches and technological solutions both for the reproducible setting of a suitable boundary layer between the shape memory alloy in wire form and the surrounding fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) and for the fully automatic integration of the textile-processable actuator into the textile reinforcement structure.

Further objectives involved the determination of structure-function property relationships, the demonstration of functional long-term stability and the conceptualization and testing of industry-relevant functional demonstrators. Here, adaptive FRP were designed as bionic-inspired flying, compliance, gripping, tensioning, targeted fluid control, wiping and locomotion mechanisms. These demonstrators represent all the essential functionalities of adaptive FRP kinematics and can be easily transferred to other industrial application areas, such as the aircraft, automotive, medical, soft robotics, civil or industrial engineering sectors.

Fields of application

The newly developed technology and structures will give new impetus to lightweight construction, especially as shape-changing structures in vehicle construction, aerospace, mechanical engineering and also in architecture. Currently, research is being conducted into the application of these structures for medical areas, especially orthopaedic or prosthetic aids.