A resource-saving, sustainable use of materials requires new structural materials that can be adapted to a specific requirement. Hybrid material systems are particularly suitable for this purpose. By combining several materials, they allow an optimized range of properties which can be adapted to the given requirements. The development and use of novel hybrid material combinations is always closely related to resource efficiency. It is crucial that not only new, energy-efficient manufacturing processes are developed, but also that the reliable prediction of material and structural properties enables the targeted use of materials. Furthermore, the topic of recycling is becoming more and more important, so that thermoplastic-based fiber composite structures, activatable interfaces and self-reinforced plastics and biopolymers in particular offer a promising approach. Understanding the properties of modern structural materials is indispensable for the targeted use of hybrid material systems. In particular, composites and hybrid material composites lead to the development of new materials by combining different materials and the associated, sometimes macroscopic, inhomogeneity and anisotropic properties pose particular challenges in experimental characterization and in the modeling of material and structural

values by means of digital image correlation.

Since there are usually no standardized procedures available for the characterization of hybrid material composites, research activities are particularly aimed at the adaptation of existing characterization methods and method development. Procedures and methods are being developed to investigate interfacial properties and to investigate lifetime considerations, among other things. In this context, particularly complex loads based on a combination of mechanical, thermal and chemical loads are considered.

Description of the damage behavior of hybrid material systems

A further research focus is the investigation of the failure behavior and damage evolution of composites and hybrid material composites. The integration of in-situ testing methods, such as acoustic emission, scanning electron microscopy or computed tomography, is crucial to investigate mechanical stress and damage evolution simultaneously. The post-mortal examination of damaged structures completes the analysis of occurring failure mechanisms.

Novel approaches in the field of material modeling

The research activities are rounded off by the adaptation and development of multi-scale modeling approaches for mapping the mechanical material and structural properties of composite materials and hybrid material composites. In addition, destructive and non-destructive testing methods are numerically represented in order to validate and further develop characterization methods and strategies.