Boronizing and its practical applications

The research study “Tribologie” (tribology) published by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology¹ reports that in the Federal Republic of Germany alone, the losses to the national economy due to abrasion and wear amounted to more than 10 billion DM in the year 1975, i.e. approx. 1% of the gross national product. It is therefore understandable that increasing measures are being taken worldwide to combat wear. In the battle against wear, EKabor boronizing agents have proved to be very effective in industrial practice for some years, and one can safely say that boronizing is already regarded as one of the conventional methods of surface hardening². Above all, the process makes a significant contribution to combating wear in extreme conditions.     

Plasmatechnik – meist unsichtbar,aber unverzichtbar für die Zukunft. Plasma Technology ‐ mostly invisible,but important for the future

Plasma Technology is an important key technology with various applications and an immense potential for the future. This is the result of the evaluation of the research programme plasma technology of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research which was finished in 2004. The article gives an overview about the main statements and the prior topics of application and research.     

Further development of express chromatographic radiochemical analysis as applied to process and radioecological monitoring in nuclear power engineering

The activities of the Aleksandrov Research Technological Institute, Federal State Unitary Enterprise, on further development of membrane sorption and membrane extraction methods of radiochemical analysis are reviewed.     

Zum Aufbau der Atmosphärenwissenschaften in der BRD seit 1968

This article examines the formation-process of the atmospheric sciences in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with a particular focus on the 1970’s, when atmospheric research expanded massively on an institutional, methodological and conceptual level. Up until now this episode is just rudimental studied historically or sociologically, especially for the FRG. The formation of the atmospheric sciences will be illustrated by two case studies: the foundation and development since 1968 of the first department of atmospheric chemistry in the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, MPG) and the collaborative research program “atmospheric tracegases” initiated in 1970 by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).     

Relative hazard rate estimation for right censored and left truncated data

In medical research differences among treatment groups are a common focus of study. The concept of relative hazard rate is a tool for comparing two groups in terms of their difference in risk rates. A kernel estimator is proposed in the case where both samples are subject to left truncation and right censoring and an iid representation is obtained in this setup. The asymptotic distribution and the asymptotic mean squared error of the estimator are obtained. An application to the famous Channing House data set illustrates the theory. Research supported in part by MCyT Grants PB98-0182-C02-01 and BFM2002-00265 (ERDF support included) and XUGA Grant PGIDT00PX110501 PN for the first author and by the Ministry of the Flemish Community (Project BIL00/28, International Scientific and Technological Cooperation) and by the IAP research network nr P5/24 of the Belgian State (Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs) for the last two authors.     

Development of a new injury cost scale

The Automobile Technique Research Association at Frankfurt, the Institute for Forensic Medicine at Mainz, the Federal Highway Research Institute at Bergisch-Gladbach, the German Motor Vehicle Inspection Association at Stuttgart, and the German Worker's Compensation at St. Augustin have completed a joint research project dealing with injury costs due to automobile accidents. The data for this social cost analysis were based on costs for administrative expenses, medical treatment, rehabilitation measures, social security payment, and loss of income, which were all paid by Worker's Compensation for single, well-documented injuries to the working population in West Germany (15 to 65 years old). The data base used included 15,407 injured and 1,026 fatal road accident victims. Tables are presented which show the costs associated with various injury levels. The result is an injury cost scale (ICS) that might be a base for establishing priorities of safety measures. The ICS has to be seen as supplemental to the AIS.     

Increasing the return on investment from federally-funded research and development

Abstract

Each year, the United States invests approximately $495 billion in research and development (R&D) – about a quarter of the total global investment. While the private sector accounts for about 67% of U.S. investment, the Federal government plays a critical role in funding R&D, particularly in areas that address societal needs in which the private sector does not yet have sufficient clear or strong incentive to make the required investments. The Federal government invests approximately $150 billion each year in R&D conducted at Federal laboratories, universities and other research organizations. As Federal R&D investments wind down or are completed, additional work is often still needed to translate the knowledge accrued from that R&D into products and services that will improve lives and provide economic growth. Technology transfer is the process by which existing knowledge, facilities or capabilities developed through R&D are utilised to fulfill public and private need. The transfer of technology from federally-funded R&D to the private sector is crucial to realising the taxpayer’s return on investment in the Federal R&D ecosystem. However, moving innovations from the lab to the market is more than inventing products for people to buy. Technology transfer is about creating jobs and growing the economy; ensuring a strong, secure, and resilient Nation; and improving Americans’ health and environment, fostering the conditions for America to maintain leadership in global innovation.     

Genetic engineering and related biotechnologies: scientific progress and public policy

The author reviews the six-year process during which the National Institutes of Health mobilized its resources to develop the NIH Recombinant DNA Research Guidelines and aid in the development of related Federal policies. He also outlines recombinant DNA research activities and current federal policies and programs that might spur the goals of the biotechnology industry. The author then discusses how collaboration among government, university, and industry might work in the light of recombinant DNA research initiatives in federal, state and local governments—as well as some international ones. He concludes with a model for enhancement of cooperative biotechnology programs among government, universities, particularly for university-industry relationships in the biotechnology area.     

Impact analysis of the materials research programmes ”Matfo” and ”MaTech” of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research – BMBF <Emphasis Type="Italic">Extended summary of a study published in September 1999</Emphasis>

The study presents the findings of an impact analysis of public support by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF, in the field of materials research. The Project Management Organization New Materials and Chemical Technologies, NMT, at Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH is acting on behalf of the BMBF. More than 350 projects with industrial participation have been analysed to determine the effectiveness of the project funding in application-oriented materials research. In addition some projects were assessed in depth to provide case studies for various areas of materials science. The scientific and technical success as well as the commercial, ecological and sociological (job-market effects) impacts of projects finished for at least one year have been investigated by means of a questionnaire addressed to the industrial participants with the following results: Received: 10 December 1999 / Reviewed: 29 February 2000 / Accepted: 29 February 2000     

Eigenspannungen und Mikrostruktur von thermisch getrenntem Stahlblech

Residual stresses and microstructure of thermal cutted steel sheet A research project of Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH and the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) was launched to investigate the residual stress depth profiles induced by different thermal cutting methods. The measurements have been performed by X‐ray stress analysis. Pronounced differences in the stress levels at the surface and for the depth profiles have been obtained for the different cutting methods (plasma, microplasma, autogenous (gas), and laser cutting). Near the surface a small region of compression stresses due martensitic or bainitic transformation was found. With increasing depth a transition to tensile stresses occurs, which are caused by the contraction in the heat affected zone (HAZ) during cooling. The highest tensile (237MPa) and compression stresses (‐550MPa) have been obtained for the laser cut samples, while the microplasma cut samples showed the lowest residual stresses (max. 180MPa/‐56MPa).     

Standardised product development for technology integration of additive manufacturing

ABSTRACT

The implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) as an industrial production process poses extraordinary challenges to companies due to the far-reaching differences to conventional processes. In addition, there are hardly any standards and guidelines or methodical process models for the relatively new technologies that enable the reproducible and target-oriented use of AM. In order to solve this problem, five industrial companies together with the Paderborn University are researching as part of the ‘OptiAMix’ research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This paper focuses on the development of an ideal process chain. Reference processes of the OptiAMix partners were analysed, norms and standards from conventional production were adapted and implemented and procedure models developed OptiAMix were integrated. The resulting AM Product Development Process was then applied and validated with the aid of a previously developed integration methodology using an example component from the automotive industry.     

nanoTruck on Tour: Reise in den Nanokosmos. nanoTruck on Tour: A Journey to the Nanokosmos

Nanotechnology is one of the key technologies of our future and is considered as a driving force for science and economy. Mediating a comprehensive understanding of nanotechnology is a main interest of the nanoTruck. This activity shows, that economy and employment in Germany can be increased by the technological productivity of nanotechnology. It aims at disseminating the benefits of nanotechnology and thus providing highly skilled new recruits. It is vital to communicate the opportunities and potentials of nanotechnology to the public, to research centres, to schools and in further education to make a new technology successful. The initiative ?nanoTruck: a journey to the nanocosmos – a world of minute proportions”? of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) contributes significantly to that aim.     

Qualifikationsbedarf Oberflächentechnik: Unternehmen,Universitäten,Fachhochschulen. Need of qualification surface technology: enterprises,universities, universities of applied sciences

With constantly growing requirements for research, development and application the modern surface technology has been developed into an interdisciplinary key and cross section technology. Tailor‐made qualification is a substantial condition, in order to fully exploit the potential of innovation in this future field. Not sufficient offers of further education and lacking qualification of the operational personnel can obstruct the industrial application of surface technology. This paper specifies qualification requirements of enterprises within the area of surface techniques and reveals, how universities and universities of applied sciences adjust themselves future‐oriented to the qualification need and contribute to the broadening of the technological efficiency. Current studies are taken as a basis, which were conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and coordinated by the VDI Technology Center Duesseldorf in the context of a qualification initiative on surface technology.     

Should the Government Intentionally Influence Research and Development?

This paper proposes and discusses several ways that the Federal government could indirectly support research and development (R&D) by instrument manufacturers. Subjects covered include education of engineers and technicians; laws covering joint R&D efforts by competing companies; development and maintenance of standards in cooperation with industry groups and IEEE as well as by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS); tax incentives for research by industry; industrial support of university research and plant modernization; better use of Federal laboratories, including NBS; and better procedures for procurement of new, state-of-the-art instruments for government use.     

Formierung einer wissenschaftlich-technischen Gemeinschaft

The Formation of a Scientific-technological Community. NMR-Spectroscopy in the Federal Republic of Germany After World War II, different kinds of physical instruments became the cores of communities whose members were specialised in the development of instrumental methods. Scientists, instrument builders, civil servants, and employees of private companies took over active parts in the formation of these communities. In his concept of Research Technology, the sociologist Terry Shinn identified a specific group between scientific research and technology of instrumentation, working on the invention of instruments and their transfer into different fields of application. Here, we focus on the final part of this process. Our case study is the implementation of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) in the Federal Republic of Germany as a standard method for spectroscopical analysis in chemistry, and as a research field in its own right. In this setting, the adaptation and institutional stabilisation of NMR in chemistry cannot be reduced to the activities of the relatively narrow group of research technologists. We call the social network around NMR a scientific-technological community. Like research technologists, members of the scientific-technological community worked in the interstitial spaces between science, administration, and industry, but they comprised a much wider range of functions. As for results, we recognize the huge impact of governmental funding on the innovation of novel instrumentation, the importance of academic scientists as both referees and users, and the efforts to establish NMR as a truely interdisciplinary field and generic method. The case of NMR in the Federal Republic of Germany shows specific regional traits, but is part of a general movement in science emphasizing the development of instrumental methods.

Die dem Artikel zugrunde liegende Forschung wurde durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft im Rahmen der Forschergruppe 393 „Wechselwirkungen zwischen Naturwissenschaft und Technik: Formen der Wahrnehmung und Wirkung im 20. Jahrhundert“ unterstützt. Wir danken den Mitgliedern der Forschergruppe für professionelle und anregende Zusammenarbeit. Weiterhin danken wir den drei anonymen Gutachter/innen und der Redaktion von NTM für ihre kritischen Stellungnahmen sowie unseren Gespr?chs- und Interviewpartnern, Walter Pietrusziak von der Gruppe Informationstechnik, Infrastruktur in der DFG-Gesch?ftsstelle in Bonn und den Mitarbeitern des Bundesarchivs in Koblenz für ihre Unterstützung.     

Full-scale accelerated pavement testing with the MLS30 on innovative testing infrastructures

Abstract

Germany is one of the most important networks to cope the commercial transport on the continent due to its central geographic position in Europe. Therefore, there is a need for the assessment of innovations in pavement design and construction materials. Full-scale accelerated pavement tests (APT) are one of the most powerful tools to close the gap between laboratory testing and in situ tests under real traffic loads. Therefore, the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) decided to get an APT device Pave®MLS30, which loads test sections with a rolling wheel. Several initial projects have been successfully completed. In 2016, the construction of the new testing and reference areal duraBASt will be completed. duraBASt is located inside of a large motorway cross section. Together with the available indoor testing facilities and the access to other test areas then high-standard full-scale testing infrastructures for answering a broad portfolio of different research questions on pavement engineering will be available.     

Perceived traffic risk for cyclists: The impact of near miss and collision experiences

Though the percentage of people bicycling for transportation rose during the last decade, with an average increase in bicycle commuting of 47% (Flusche, 2012), still only 1% of all U.S. trips are made by bike (Flusche, 2010). Research suggests that people’s concern regarding the risk of bicycling near traffic—namely the risk of being hit by a car—remain a significant barrier to widespread cycling. However, research has not disaggregated traffic risk to expose its many aspects and how they may affect bicyclists with differing skill levels, experiences, and behaviors. This study begins to address this gap in our understanding. Elaborating on results from an internet survey, this study examined various aspects of traffic risk among 406 potential and current bicyclists in the San Francisco Bay Area. The data indicate that perceived traffic risk negatively influences the decision to bicycle for potential and occasional bicyclists, although the influence decreases with cycling frequency. Additionally, cycling frequency seems to heighten awareness of traffic risk, particularly for cyclists who have experienced “near misses” or collisions. In particular, near misses were found to be (a) much more common than collisions and (b) more strongly associated than collisions with perceived traffic risk. The findings suggest that efforts targeting road user behaviors and roadway designs associated with these near misses could mitigate perceived and actual traffic risk for bicyclists, and thereby eventually help achieve higher cycling ridership.     

Ein‐Blick in die Nano‐Elektronik: Bausteine,Funktionsprinzipien und virtuelle Reisen

In sight into nano‐electronics: Devices, functional principles and a virtual trip Electronics captures the nanocosmos at high‐speed like no other today’s technology. The fact that modern very complex products are based upon some quartz‐sand and a couple of metallic additives is shown by the recent exhibit “from sand to superchip” initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The over‐all value added chain of Germany’s semiconductor‐industry is presented vividly. Already today the size of crucial components is in the range of nanometers and in some places even down to the thickness of a few atom layers only. Chip producers are facing increasing challenges. They must develop new materials and more and more complex processes need to be controlled. Germany is now established as a leading location of nanoeletronics research and production. This was achieved not only by supporting the settlement of new chipfactories such as AMD and Infineon/Qimonda in Dresden, but also by focusing competence. Prominent examples are a high‐end photomask research and production facility (AMTC Dresden), the center of nanoelectronics technologies (CNT) in Dresden as well as the foundation of edacentrum (EDA‐Electronic Design Automation) in Hannover. A profound insight into the world of nanoelectronics is given playfully by ?Nanoreisen”?, which addresses the interested public.     

Perspectives for motorcycle stability control systems

On a global scale, motorcyclists are typically over-represented in crash statistics. This trend is increasing as although total road crashes and fatalities have decreased over the last fifteen years, motorcycle crash volumes have not. This paper describes the potential of stability control systems to help save motorcyclists’ lives. It summarizes safety research conducted and commissioned by the Federal Highway Research Institute (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, BASt) during the last twenty-five years, with particular focus on the authors’ own work in the last five years, and the state of the art in motorcycle control systems.The conclusion is that further investigation and improvement of these systems should be encouraged. Unfortunately, active stabilization of motorcycles is not presently possible and may not be possible in the future. Therefore, further development, evolution and optimization of Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABSs) and Traction Control Systems (TCS) should be undertaken, and Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABSs) should be mandatory on powered two-wheelers. These steps will make the powered two-wheeler a safer urban transportation system.     

Official dosimetry with personal electronic dosemeters--the framework in Germany

In Germany, personal electronic dosemeters (AEPDs) are presently applied mainly for operational radiation protection monitoring particularly in nuclear power engineering companies, large hospitals and research centres. This is done in addition to the official dosimetry of record. Therefore, frequently, double monitoring occurs-officially and operationally. A crucial advantage of AEPDs compared with passive dosemeters is the ability to adapt the monitoring period to the working time in controlled areas and to allow an immediate readout of the dose after leaving the controlled area, e.g. a job-related monitoring is possible by correlating the readout dose with the job performed. Germany started a general research project, consisting of two parts, for an optimised implementation of personal electronic dosemeters into official dosimetry. The use of AEPDs as official dosemeters depends on an approval by Federal and Federal State ('L?nder') authorities as an official dosimetry system, which has to comply with special requirements ensuring that the legal requirements are fulfilled. The formulation of these special requirements is in the focus of part one of the research project, supervised by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and performed by the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH. As a result of part one, a framework was developed which is the basis for a future technical implementation project. Part one is described in the paper, while part two is still to be initiated and will deal with the implementation and testing phase of the introduction of personal electronic dosemeters as official dosemeters.