RWTHx: Lightweight Design

This course will introduce you to lightweight design and its goals. You will learn basic rules for weight optimization of a structure on a material and structural level. The important aspect of cost management in the process of light weight design is discussed. You will get a deeper understanding of how structures work and how they are designed regarding lightweight optimum.

To get the most out of your time the course is subdivided into six weeks, each consists of lectures and exercises. During lectures, you will get all the theoretical background of lightweight design. Exercises will merge your theoretical knowledge with the practical use of calculation methods.

You will learn how to exploit the full capacity of structures by considering nonlinearities, such as plasticity or stability. Different instability problems such as Euler buckling, lateral torsional buckling and lateral buckling, will be discussed in detail. Another aspect which must not be neglected are the shear stresses due to shear force or torsion in thin-walled structures.

The course concludes with the analysis of more complex structures and the introduction to calculation methods which make the design of such complex structures relatively easy. Therefore, we highly recommend you to attend to this course.