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Dear reader,
Enabling the future – ever since
1868 Mechanical Engineering
at the Technical University of
Munich has been the front
runner in developing technical
solutions for the challenges of
our society at the cutting edge
of research and technology.
Carl von Linde, the pioneer of refrigeration, and Johann
Bauschinger, a renowned mathematician and materials
scientist, as founding professors of the Department, as
well as our students, Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel
engine, and the pioneers in aviation Willy Messerschmitt
and Claude Dornier are among the illustrious circle of
TUM engineers. Sustainable mobility, transport and energy
conversion and disruptive technologies in manufacturing
caused by digitalization are the most prominent chal-
lenges today. As much as in the early days of engineer-
ing, these challenges can only be met by fundamental
research in engineering sciences, i.e. mechanics, fluid
mechanics, thermodynamics and engineering design from
which innovation and creative solutions emerge. Funda-
mental engineering science, however, finds its orientation
only in the applied engineering sciences on which it is
firmly grounded. The epitome of the synergy between
applied and fundamental engineering science was Ludwig
Prandtl, one of our most prominent graduates, who devel-
oped the mathematical foundation of aerodynamics and
boundary layers and thus enabled modern aeronautical
engineering (c.f. Highlights on pp. 31-42)
Since about the 1980s, cooperation with industry has
gained ground and became one of the most important
sources for research funding throughout the years 1995
to 2005. After the move to Garching, between 2005
and 2015, third-party funding almost tripled, motivating
restructuring through new governance approaches and
implementation of a strategic mid-range vision for further
departmental development (c.f. Strategic Governance,
p. 44).
In order to maintain the balance between applied
research, as a response to one of the first evaluations of a
German university department, the department agreed to
accept peer-reviewed scientific publications and funding
through peer-reviewed public foundations as an additional
criteria for research performance, along with successful
cooperation with industry. Most international rankings
are based on publication data, and the success of the
governance measures is reflected in the fact that TUM
Mechanical Engineering is now ranked at top international
positions worldwide and at position 1 or 2 among its
German peers (c.f. Rankings, p. 54). At the same time,
TUM Mechanical Engineering became the top-performer
at TUM with respect to DFG funding, except for TUM
Medical (c.f. Research, p. 55).
150 years’ culture of excellence does not allow us to rest
on our laurels. We are in the midst of an intensive process
of redesigning our study programs to meet the future engi-
neering challenges; already reflected in at early semesters
of the Bachelor program, enabling students to define
and master their focus during the subsequent Master’s
programs. (c.f. Studying p. 69)
For the fourth time now, we have compiled the achieve-
ments and topical research results of TUM Mechanical
Engineering in this report. We hope that it helps our
partners in academia and industry to consolidate or estab-
lish contact with us, stimulate the interest of prospective
students and junior researchers to join us, and – last but
not least – ourselves, the faculty and researchers as a live
exchange platform on our research and teaching activities.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nikolaus Adams, Dean
Preamble