Ideas for the Future – Research and Development in a New Highly Innovative SME
Based on his university work and research at the TU Darmstadt, Professor Horst Peter Wölfel founded the company Wölfel Beratende Ingenieure in 1971. Today, such a young enterprise would be called “high-tech start-up” and “spin-off” of Darmstadt University of Technology. During the first couple of years the company’s aim was to make the arising computer simulation – namely the Finite Element Method – accessible to Germany’s industry, so to serve as mediator between university research and industrial application. To this day this mediator role is a distinctive feature of our company, since we have always been keen to be at the top of technological developments.
In the 1970s, we focused on FE-simulation; in the 1980s, we completed simulation by experimental modal analysis based on our dynamics know-how and merged calculation and measurement. In the 1990s, we were mainly involved in probabilistic risk studies and today we are engaged in industrial oriented, applied research in the area of dynamics, our core competence, including themes as:
- Earthquake Engineering
- Seating Comfort
- Active Vibration Reduction
- Structural Health Monitoring
Our Main Research Areas
Our R&D activities focus on the following topics:
- Structural health monitoring of rotor blades, tower and foundation, load monitoring (e.g.: SHM Wind or Underwater Inspect)
- Grouted joints (e.g.: QS-M Grout)
- Dynamic seating comfort of seats in motor vehicles (e.g.: UDASim)
- Lightweight structures (e.g.: IRIS or I-SSB)
- Vibration reduction (e.g.: ELISSA)
- Vulnerability study regarding load case airplane crash (e.g.: RiskPROTEC CI)
- Resilience analysis for load case blast (e.g.: GRASB)
- Non-linear concrete failure (Bsp.: IRIS)
- Development of different technologies for the reduction of resonance and forced vibrations (e.g.: active noise control, Safe Pipes or WiTiRohr)
- Dynamic seating comfort of seats in motor vehicles (e.g.: UDASim)
- Reduction of load-induced diseases of people in wheelchairs and bedridden people
- Composite structures (e.g.: Organobridge)
- Optimization of the textile trimming of seats and shoes
- High-temperature pipes in plant engineering (e.g.: IRIS)
- Bridges (e.g.: Organobridge or PiezoEN Bridge)
- Railways
Our Research Partners
With a view to the industrial application of our research results, we have been cooperating with universities, research institutes and industrial partners in our R&D projects:
- Knauf GIPS KG (Germany)
- Bayerisches Zentrum für Angewandte Energie Forschung e.V. ZAE Bayern (Germany)
- National Technical University of Athens (Greece)
- VA-Q-TEC (Switzerland)
- ABB (Switzerland)
- Det Norske Veritas Ltd. (Norway)
- Fraunhofer Gesellschaft mit den Instituten, D – IWES und IZFP Dresden (Germany)
- Olav Olsen AS (Norway)
- SINTEF Energi AS (Norway)
- TWI Ltd. (Grait Britain)
- Universität Siegen (Germany)
- BALTIC Taucherei- und Bergungsbetrieb Rostock GmbH (Germany)
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme – Material Diagnostik, IKTS-MD (Germany)
- WindMW GmbH (Germany)
- EnBW Erneuerbare Energie (Germany)
- DNV GL (Germany)
- Human Solutions GmbH (Germany)
- Technische Universität München, Lehrstuhl für Ergonomie (Germany)
- AnyBody Technology A/S (Denmark)
- EADS Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung, ISC (Germany)
- RWE Power AG (Germany)
- SKF Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
- Total Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland (Germany)
- Cervenka Consulting (Czech Republic)
- EMPA (Switzerland)
- TU Darmstadt (Germany)
- University of Patras (Greece)
- Ingenieurgesellschaft für Zuverlässigkeit und Prozessmodellierung, IZP, Dresden (Germany)
- Nordex Energy GmbH (Germany)
- Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
- PI Ceramic GmbH (PIC) (Germany)
- GMT (Germany)
Please contact us personally
________
We will be pleased to inform you about our finished and current research projects and are at your disposal for any inquiries regarding new research activities.
Geosciences at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Dr. rer. nat.
Expert Committee SHM of DGzfP
Expert Committee Ecology and Management of River Basins of DWA
"Desire and diligence can find paths hidden even under snow, and a bold start makes the impossible possible. Do great mountains block the way? Freshly dared, you will get over them. The difficulties are dwarfs, but you are a giant."
As so-called "Wölfel pensioner", I am still working because I enjoy my work in an intellectually open-minded environment and a very pleasant working atmosphere.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Oregon State University (Corvallis, USA)
Dipl.-Ing. in Materials Science, Saarland University
See above
The work that pleases us becomes a pleasure.
The colleagues are all very warm and open.
Geosciences at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Dr. rer. nat.
Expert Committee SHM of DGzfP
Expert Committee Ecology and Management of River Basins of DWA
"Desire and diligence can find paths hidden even under snow, and a bold start makes the impossible possible. Do great mountains block the way? Freshly dared, you will get over them. The difficulties are dwarfs, but you are a giant."
As so-called "Wölfel pensioner", I am still working because I enjoy my work in an intellectually open-minded environment and a very pleasant working atmosphere.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Oregon State University (Corvallis, USA)
Dipl.-Ing. in Materials Science, Saarland University
See above
The work that pleases us becomes a pleasure.
The colleagues are all very warm and open.