About us
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is part of KIT's Area 3 "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering" together with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, four Helmholtz programs, and eight institutes of the large-scale research area. The department consists of more than 20 institutes with about 1,000 employees, including about 40 professors, 460 scientific employees, and 200 employees in administration and technology. In addition, there are several hundred tutors and scientific assistants.
Researchers at KIT want to create the conditions for successful nuclear fusion. Fusion research could make the unfulfilled promises of nuclear power come true in the future: almost unlimited energy, safe, economical, and without millennia of radioactive waste. KIT scientists are researching numerous subprocesses that are crucial for the success of this endeavor – and are among the world's leading researchers. Researchers around the world are working to replicate the process that generates energy in the sun: nuclear fusion. When light atoms fuse to form heavier atoms, energy is released that keeps stars shining for billions of years. "The most promising fuel is hydrogen atoms fused to form helium," says Prof. Christoph Kirchlechner, head of the IAM – Materials and Interface Mechanics and the Fusion Program at KIT. Read the complete KIT news
The DAAD provides funding for students and university staff to spend time abroad. The National Agency for Erasmus+ University Cooperation within the German Academic Exchange Service (NA DAAD) reports that German universities will receive around 205 million euros in the "Mobility of Individuals" funding line over the next two years - an increase of 21 million euros compared to the previous year. The budget is to be used by all types of higher education institutions for stays abroad by students and university staff.
The focus is on funding stays in the 33 Erasmus+ program countries. Universities may also use up to 20% of the funds for worldwide mobility outside of these countries.
With the Department Teaching Awards, the KIT Presidential Board honors individuals, working groups or organizational units of the KIT Departments responsible for teaching whose courses are characterized in particular by research- and application-oriented teaching modules as well as new forms of teaching and learning, interdisciplinarity or high topicality of the specialist knowledge imparted.
This year's Department Award for Mechanical Engineering goes to Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Liebig from the Institute for Applied Materials. Students particularly appreciate his innovative concepts, multimedia use and practical relevance in laboratories, workshops and excursions.
The KIT start-up incubator has named the start-up "Straight-up" as the start-up of the month. Back pain is one of the most common widespread diseases. This is where the KIT start-up StraightUp comes in: With an intelligent wearable, the founders want to create a new awareness of healthy posture - and go far beyond conventional posture belts. The smart posture trainer is worn directly on the body and uses a gentle vibration to remind the wearer to improve their posture - individually tailored to their state of health and activity level. The system is controlled via an app, which also offers evaluations, training aids and personalized recommendations. StraightUp is to be approved as a medical device in the long term and thus become an integral part of therapy and prevention. (dml)
Making process chains in additive manufacturing more resource-efficient - that is the aim of the new CZS Center for Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency using Additive Manufacturing Technologies (Center KRAFt). The Birkenfeld Environmental Campus of Trier University of Applied Sciences, Aalen University of Applied Sciences and KIT are involved in this project. The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding the project with 12 million euros[...] "We can meet the challenges of scarce resources with sustainable production methods. In addition to innovative ideas, this requires open, interdisciplinary and trusting cooperation," emphasizes Professor Joachim Knebel, Head of Division III - Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at KIT. "We can achieve this by bringing together the innovative power of young people and entrusting them with responsibility as well as allowing them freedom of design." KIT press release
COSMOS-H stands for: Critical heat flux On Smooth and MOdified Surfaces - High pressure and is a thermohydraulic test facility for water-steam experiments under high pressure conditions of up to 160 bar. With an installed thermal output of 1.8 megawatts and temperatures of up to 360 degrees Celsius, it offers extensive possibilities. "With COSMOS-H, we can investigate heat transfer and transient boiling phenomena under realistic conditions like in a real power plant for the first time," said Professor Daniel Banuti, Head of the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety (ITES) at KIT. The knowledge gained could help to make industrial plants and power stations safer and more efficient in the future, including nuclear reactors as well as concentrating solar power stations.
more News