O+P Fluidtechnik 6/2018

IFAS JUBILÄUM 50 YEARS

IFAS JUBILÄUM 50 YEARS OF FLUID POWER RESEARCH AT RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY – HIGHLIGHTS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES — PART 1 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hubertus Murrenhoff and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katharina Schmitz The 11th IFK 2018 took place from March 19th through 21st at the Eurogress in Aachen. During the concluding session on the last day of the event, Prof. Ernst Schmachtenberg, Rector of RWTH Aachen University, conducted the handover of the directorship at ifas. A talk followed with regard to the above title and for all readers of O+P Fluidtechnik that didn’t had the chance to attend the conference, the contents of that presentation are summarized in this three-part-series. This first part starts with an introduction describing the history of the Institute from its establishment in 1968 by Prof. Wolfgang Backé till today. The following chapter deals with exemplary research highlights of the first decade. The highlights of the following decades as well as an outlook on the future research contents and the new structure of the research group will be given in the two parts that will be published in the upcoming issues of O+P Fluidtechnik. FORSCHUNG UND ENTWICKLUNG STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF IHP & IFAS, e.g. ifas n Establishment of IHP/IFAS out of the Institure of Agri cultural Engineering in 1968 Heads of IHP/IFAS n Prof. Wolfgang Backé, 1968-1994, scholar of Prof. Herwart Opitz, PhD in 1959 n Prof. Hubertus Murrenhoff, 1994-2018, scholar of Prof. Wolfgang Backé, PhD in 1983 n Prof. Katharina Schmitz, since 2018, scholar of Prof. Murrenhoff, PhD in 2015

IFAS JUBILÄUM 01 Transients in a hydrostatic drive changing line volume INTRODUCTION The Institute was established by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1968. At that time the former Institute of Agricultural Engineering directed by Prof. H. Sack, was discontinued and as a field of teaching integrated into the Automotive Institute IKA of RWTH Aachen. Thus, the avenue was paved for the new born Institute for Hydraulic and Pneumatic Drives and Controls (Institute für hydraulische und pneumatische Antriebe und Steuerungen, IHP). As the first Director, Prof. Wolfgang Backé took over in 1968 responsible for research and teaching of the newly created subject of fluid power. He was a scholar of Prof. Herwardt Opitz the longtime head of the Machine Tool Laboratory (WZL) at RWTH Aachen. In 1959 he was promoted to Dr.-Ing. and in 1962 he earned his habilitation with the title: “Über die dynamische Stabilität hydraulischer Steuerungen unter Berücksichtigung der Strömungskräfte”. From the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering he was awarded the Venia Legendi holding the title „Ölhydraulische Steuerungen und Antriebe, insbesondere im Werkzeugmaschinenbau“. Prof. Backé headed IHP from its establishment until his retirement in 1994. This covers a span of 26 years and led the institute to the worldwide leading research and teaching facility. The first location was at Eilfschonsteinstraße in Aachen. From there a temporary office and laboratory was used in Kopernikusstraße before the final move to Melaten followed. When Prof. Hubertus Murrenhoff took over in 1994, office and laboratory facilities were established in Melaten. He was a scholar of Prof. Backè and closed the loop in the matrix of drive systematics by filling the forth quadrant with his research work. This is better known by the secondary or motor control. The title of his dissertation in 1983 was “Regelung von verstellbaren Verdrängereinheiten am Konstant-Drucknetz”. Prof. Murrenhoff spent 8 years in leading position in companies in the US and Bavaria before he accepted a call to return to his Alma Mater in 1994. He was Director of the renamed Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls (Institut für fluidtechnische Antriebe und Steuerungen, IFAS) for 24 years until 2018. Under his direction the building extension (laboratory II) was designed and constructed as an extension of laboratory I. Taking both time spans together made a round number of 50 years of fluid power at RWTH Aachen University leading to the celebrations during the 11th IFK. In March 2018 Prof. Katharina Schmitz accepted the call back to her Alma Mater and joined in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering the same month. The institute was renamed to Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Systems (ifas). She was a scholar of Prof. Murrenhoff and earned her doctoral degree in 2015 with the dissertation “Eindimensionale Hydrauliksimulation mehrphasiger Fluide”. After serving as Deputy Chief Engineer at IFAS she went to industry in 2015 where she stayed for 3 years, last as Technical Director at Hunger Maschinen GmbH in Würzburg. Meanwhile the institute moved its office location into the new Cluster of Production Technology where ifas occupies the 3rd floor in the 3B wing. Unfortunately the laboratory is still under renovation after the devastating WZL fire in February 2016 where ifas was also damaged regarding its infrastructure like air conditioning and the whole electric network. Some test stands can be used in the laboratory with an emergency supply but most test stands are still distributed at different location within EIN VOLLSTÄNDIGES SENSOREN PROGRAMM GEFRAN DEUTSCHLAND GmbH Tel +49 (0)6182 809 280 vertrieb@gefran.de - www.gefran.de WEGAUFNEHMER SEILZUGAUFNEHMER WINKELSENSOREN NEIGUNGSSENSOREN DRUCKMESSUMFORMER KRAFTMESSDOSEN O+P Fluidtechnik 6/2018 39 MobileHydraulic_90x60_DEU_2016.indd 1 04/07/16 16:15 Gefran.indd 1 03.05.2018 14:44:05