Hybrid materials, i.e. composite materials or material composites, which are intrinsically produced or extrinsically joined from several individual components, play an increasingly important role in industrial applications. The aim of hybrid lightweight construction is usually to reduce the mass of supporting structures or components while at the same time increasing component performance, which is expressed for example in higher stiffness, higher strength, increased toughness or improved vibration resistance.

In addition to steels with a comparatively high stiffness and density, the light metals aluminum and magnesium as well as fiber reinforced plastic composites have a high potential for lightweight construction due to their low density. The combination of different types of materials in a composite material or a material composite generated by a conventional joining technology always results in the creation of an interface. This interface is one of the decisive factors for the performance of the composite, as it ensures the load transfer between the composite partners.

The chair "Hybrid Materials" is engaged in the working groups "Processes" and "Materials & Mechanics" in order to clarify and describe process-structure-property correlations for hybrid materials. This includes the development of new process routes as well as the characterization of the microstructure by means of metallographic, microscopic and tomographic methods. The microstructure parameters are correlated with mechanical properties, which are determined using various characterization methods. From this knowledge, theories of microstructure-property correlation can be derived, which allow material optimization and, ideally, the prediction of component properties.