RAMPF Giessharze supplies sealing foam for biomimetic research projects at Freiburg University
For lianas, wound healing is a matter of course. Will this soon also apply for polyurethane foams from RAMPF Giessharze? The research team of Dr. Olga Speck from the competence network Biomimetics of the University of Freiburg has already succeeded in achieving this on a laboratory scale. At the specialist symposium “Innovative Sealing Technologies” at RAMPF in Grafenberg on 25th March 2010, the scientist introduced the first technical application: a self-repairing membrane for pneumatic structures.
The inflatable lightweight load-bearing structure Tensairity® could be soon fitted with a self-repairing coating of moulded foam from RAMPF. The picture shows the roof of a multi-storey car park in Montreux, Switzerland, which was built by the companies Airlight and Luscher Architectes using Tensairity beams in 2004.
Lianas are not only real ‘climbing artists’, their self-repairing effects are exemplary. © Gerd Reiber - Fotolia.com
“Nature provides us with a virtually inexhaustible reservoir of biological models. We must use this treasure in order to create innovations“, demanded Dr. Olga Speck. Since the year 2002, she has been the manager responsible for network tasks in the "Competence Network Biomimetics“ group of the University of Freiburg and supervises several biomimetic research projects. A main emphasis lies on the self-repair and self-adaptation of materials. The project has the name “Biomimetic Self-repairing Membranes”, short: BSM. This has been financed since 2006 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of a competition on new ideas “Biomimetics – Innovations from nature”. In this interdisciplinary research project, biologists and chemists from the university as well as physicists and engineers from the EMPA do research on self-healing processes in nature and technology.
Self-repairing effects of liana transferred to polyurethane foam
Through the collaboration with RAMPF Giessharze in Grafenberg, an important step has been made in this area. In initial investigations with a semi-rigid moulded foam from the brand RAKU-PUR®, it has been possible to transfer the wound sealing properties of lianas to the polyurethane foam. A self-repairing coating with plastic membranes in pneumatic systems prevents them reacting with an immediate drop in pressure in case of a tear. Normally, the material, which is characterized by low viscosity, good adhesion and high mechanical strength, is used in the manufacture of filters. Through the BSM project, an entirely new application of RAKU-PUR® would be imaginable in future – perhaps in the construction of event halls or temporary bridges with the inflatable lightweight load-bearing structure Tensairity®, which is being investigated at the EMPA in Switzerland. First test results are encouraging. “In the case of damage from nails up to a diameter of five millimetres, the rate of the drop in pressure could be reduced by two to three orders of magnitude in compari-son to uncoated membranes, so that an excellent self-repairing effect could be achieved. Even air mattresses or inflatable boats could perhaps profit from the ‘airy’ construction one day”, added Speck. The scientist presented her work at the specialist symposium “Innovative Sealing Technologies” held at the company RAMPF Giessharze on 25th March 2010 in Grafenberg. In a next step, the implementation to an automated dosing cell DC-CNC will be tested by the partner company RAMPF Dosiertechnik.
Fusion of science and business
“RAMPF has grown as a company through innovations. And the development continues. Our partners from the University of Freiburg are impressive proof of this fact”, Dr. Klaus Schamel, General Manager of RAMPF Giessharze, was pleased to say. In the recently constructed innovation centre, he will let his guests immerse themselves in the brand RAKU-PUR®. Thereby, science and business merge. In collaboration with the University of Applied Science in Bern, the key word innovation is trained at a scientific level and implemented in the workshop. In addition to practical demonstrations of the latest technologies from RAMPF, lectures from other renowned partners and customers are on the programme. Amongst other things, these include Bayer Material Science AG and Kuka Roboter GmbH. Users from all key industries belong to the target group for the one-day seminar. The sealing system of the RAKU-PUR® brand is used in switching cabinets, lighting, household appliances, and also in the automobile industry. “There are no limits to the possible applications”, stressed Schamel.
