The consortium consisting of the CU members Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TU Dresden and thoenes® as well as RAUCH Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH has been awarded the prestigious AVK prize in the “Innovative Products and Applications” category for its outstanding performance in the LE²GRO project. Together, the partners developed a large-area fertilizer spreader based on an innovative lightweight design using hollow profiles made of carbon fibre and polyamide (PA6). This thermoplastic construction sets new standards in the efficiency of agricultural machinery and offers sustainable solutions for the modern challenges of agriculture.
The developed fertilizer spreader is characterized by a significant reduction in soil compaction, which is achieved by increasing the machine width while simultaneously reducing the machine mass. Soil compaction and erosion are major challenges for agriculture that urgently need to be addressed to ensure sustainable yields and healthy soils.
Innovation in detail: As part of the LE²GRO project, an innovative solution was implemented to increase the efficiency of agricultural machinery by developing a fertilizer spreader with a span of 36 meters and a weight reduction of 43 %. The large-scale field tests not only confirm the practicality of the system, but also the enormous benefits for agricultural businesses, which will benefit from reduced soil contamination and greater efficiency in the future.
A key aspect of the development was the application of the tape braiding process, which was extended to hybrid yarns in order to significantly reduce production costs. By integrating a software tool to derive the production parameters and inline process monitoring of the fiber angle, a consistently high production quality of the hollow profiles could be guaranteed. These hollow profiles replace metallic structures and enable the realization of complex supporting structures without the use of complex manual welding processes.
We would like to thank Rauch Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH and thoenes for the excellent and trusting cooperation, as well as the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Projektträger Jülich (PTJ) for funding the project.
Further information and contact:
Further information on the LE²GRO project and contact information can be found in the Research Report 2023 LE²GRO .
Contact:
Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TU Dresden
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