FE Symposium in Chemnitz: A Head Full of Finite Elements

9 September 2026

We have just returned from three exciting days at the Finite Element Symposium 2026 in Chemnitz. Our institute was represented by Thomas Apel, Regina Bühler, Lisa Kühn, Katharina Lorenz, and Philipp Zilk, who actively contributed to the scientific program with presentations and by chairing several sessions. Alongside many interesting talks and stimulating scientific discussions, the symposium provided opportunities for personal exchange with colleagues from the finite element community.

There was also plenty to discover beyond finite elements: a brewery tour and a short walk through the city gave us the opportunity to experience the more social side of Chemnitz. And, of course, no visit would have been complete without a photo stop at probably the city’s most famous head – the monumental Karl Marx bust.

Aktuelles

Philipp Zilk Receives Research Prize for His Dissertation

Our colleague Philipp Zilk was awarded the Research Prize of the Förderverein Konstruktiver Ingenieurbau at the Bundeswehr University Munich’s Dies academicus 2026.

New RISK.twin Website Showcases Six Years of Research

The new website documents six years of RISK.twin and ensures that the project’s research remains accessible beyond its conclusion.

Publication on crack identification in membranes based on eigenfrequencies

Our new article, “Can one hear the shape of a crack in a drum? Spectral fingerprints and a data-driven perspective”, by Thomas Apel, Serge Nicaise, and Philipp Zilk has been published in the SeMA Journal, the official journal of the Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics (SeMA).

New preprint on space-time finite elements for geometrically exact beams

In their new preprint “A space-time finite element formulation for geometrically exact shear-deformable beams”, Ivo Steinbrecher and Alexander Humer present a unified space-time finite element formulation for the transient analysis of geometrically exact beams.

New article published in CMAME

We are happy to announce the publication of our article "Modified augmented Lagrangian preconditioning for mixed-dimensional beam-solid coupling" in Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering.

A Llamazing Institute Excursion

For this year’s institute excursion, we left the office behind and headed to Lamaland Loher for an afternoon in the company of some rather special hiking companions. The llama hike offered a particularly enjoyable and relaxing counterbalance to everyday work.