Steel and iron are the dominant metallic materials. The steel producing and steel processing industries are key industries of the German, European and world economy. Their products are omnipresent. The most important manufacturing industries include the automotive industry as well as mechanical engineering, plant engineering or construction industry. With countless new steel grades, completely new groups of steels and innovative processing methods, improved application possibilities and new fields of application for steel are opening up. As a result, steel can be a driver of innovation.
The Forschungsvereinigung Stahlanwendung e. V. (FOSTA) drives application research and practical development for the material steel. This includes brainstorming, the formation of consortia for the application and implementation of research projects. All research projects are carried out in cooperation of industry and steel relevant research institutions. The focus is on the fields of mechanical engineering, automotive, construction, traffic engineering and environmental technology. These include the cross-sectional tasks such as working and processing techniques and material behavior of steel, simulation and sustainability.
Current research results for mechanical engineering from 2019 are summarized in the following final reports:
- P 897 Assessment of the advantage of high-strength steels as a material for lightweight construction of steels tube towers for wind energy plants using a high-power joining technology
- P 1080 Expansion of the material and processing spectrum in wind energy plant construction through consistent component safety and welding process optimization