Research colloquium: The fascination of engineering – shaping the future on MINT-mach-Saturday at the University of Kassel

As part of the research colloquium for final theses, doctoral and habiliation candidates, we cordially invite you on Thursday, May 20, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. in room 3516 (Mönchebergstr. 7). We are pleased to present the lecture by Ms. Charlott Rottmann B.Sc. with the title

"The fascination of engineering – shaping the future on MINT-mach-Saturday at the University of Kassel"

Summary:

How does a brittle material behave under bending load? In the hands-on engineering experiment

Sweet Engineering: Load-bearing behavior of a chocolate bar under load

this question is investigated experimentally using a commercially available 100 g bar of chocolate as a test specimen. The bar is clamped in a specially constructed test rig and loaded as a beam with a central force applied in a hinged position until structural failure occurs.

From a mechanical point of view, this is a classic three-point bending test, which is also used in materials testing. The focus is on the analysis of the bending moment, the stress distribution in the beam cross-section and the deformation development up to the breaking load. As a result of the successive load increase, an abrupt failure behavior occurs. This fracture behavior enables a clear demonstration of central concepts of mechanics, including the determination of internal stresses (internal forces), the deformation of components and the prediction of material failure due to excessive stresses.

The experimental observations are compared with theoretical assumptions and thus provide a practical introduction to the fundamentals of engineering mechanics. In addition, effects such as material fatigue, temperature dependence and stress redistribution can be discussed in order to make the limits of idealized models visible.

The experiment will be presented as part of the MINT Mach Saturday at the University of Kassel (14.06.2025, 10 am - 4 pm, Wilhelmshöher Allee site) and invites young people in particular to experience the fascinating world of mechanics up close. Complex physical principles become tangible when a bar of chocolate becomes a test object and this is exactly what brings technical science to life. Our aim is to arouse curiosity, create aha moments and show how exciting and creative engineering can be. Perhaps it will be precisely this moment that sparks will fly and we will see some of those who are amazed today as students in our lectures again in a few years' time.