The department of physical analysis is strongly experimentally oriented and has 20 modern X-ray diffractometers for fine structure analysis which are optimized for different applications. These allow, among other things, investigations with high spatial resolution by micro-beam optics, analyses of thin films under grazing incidence, measurements of large components and in production facilities by two mobile diffractometers as well as investigations with high time resolution for in-situ experiments. In addition, different methods with neutron and synchrotron radiation are applied and further developed in the research projects of the department.
The resulting material states, in particular the residual stresses, are analysed according to different manufacturing processes within the scope of various projects, partly with external cooperation partners, using the existing measuring methods. Within the priority program SPP2013, the mechanisms of residual stress generation during rotary swaging are currently being investigated in order to optimize the component properties in a targeted manner.