Als Fellow der Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung forscht Dr. Yajie Dai am Institut für Keramik, Feuerfest- und Verbundwerkstoffe. Die Materialwissenschaftlerin unterzieht industrielle Filter aus Keramik Belastungstests und liefert damit wichtige Hinweise für effiziente, robotisierte Anwendung in der metallurgischen Industrie.
During the transportation and robotic hand-aided installation process of a ceramic foam filter its mechanical performance has to be ensured. To avoid structural damage, the filter must be stable enough to withstand the firm grip of the robotic hand from all sides as well as stress caused during the transportation and application. Dr. Yajie Dai has already clamped countless samples of such filters into the testing machine TIRAtest 2850 and thus tested their stability against splitting tensile loads. The filters she examines are mainly used in the steel industry.
Using measurement technology and a special high-speed camera, the guest scientist tracks how cracks develop and progress in the material as a result of mechanical loading: "This creates a curve on which the stresses can be analysed as a function of load and time. Thus, the macro- and micro- mechanical behaviour of the material can be examined," explains Dr. Yajie Dai. In cooperation with other research groups at Freiberg University, she uses the results to develop simulations and 3D models. The materials scientist investigates how the structure of the material influences the stability of the filters and the limits of their load-bearing capacity. "This knowledge can support the development of even more reliable filters."
Developing resource-efficient materials
"The mechanical tests build on the research findings of the Collaborative Research Center CRC 920 `Multifunctional filters for metal melt filtration – A contribution to zero defect materials`" says host Prof. Christos Aneziris. "They also provide key insights into the development of resource-efficient refractory materials, for example at the current Research Training Group GRK 2802 `Refractory Recycling´. We are therefore very happy that Dr. Yajie Dai has chosen TU Bergakademie Freiberg as host institution for her research project."
Researching and living in Freiberg for more than a year
The materials scientist from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in Hubei (China) will be conducting research at TU Bergakademie Freiberg until the end of 2023. Since October 2022 she has been supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. "The chance to do research in Germany for 15 months is unique," says Dr Yajie Dai. “My research stay enables me to build new networks and gain experience in new scientific issues." The Chinese scientist, who has already conducted research in France and Austria, would also like to widen her language skills during her stay in Freiberg. "Outside of my research project, I benefit from the personal support of many university members. The overall experience has already been worthwhile."