Development methodology for the integration of sustainability aspects in engineering In order to support developers in the design of sustainable systems, there is often a lack of suitable methods. Should an electric motor rather be encapsulated to have a low heat loss or should the motor rather not be encapsulated so that later recycling is easier? Which solution saves the most CO2? The Sustainable Lifecycle Engineering project aims to enable developers and product managers to include sustainability aspects in their decision-making at an early stage of engineering.

Engineering for Sustainability in Advanced Systems: Managing Complexity and Making Informed Decisions Addressing the challenges of the increasing complexity of engineered systems by integrating sustainability aspects in engineering

This research project focuses on the increasing complexity of Advanced Systems (AS), which have a close interconnection of mechanics, electronics and software. These systems offer enhanced capabilities but also pose new challenges, particularly in the context of sustainability. The challenge is to manage the increasing complexity of AS while taking into account environmental, economic, and social sustainability aspects. These different dimensions interact with each other and make it difficult for developers to make informed decisions. Current approaches to sustainability assessment are often inadequate and retrospective, leading to suboptimal decisions. In addition, there is a lack of a holistic view of the interrelationships between engineering decisions and sustainability requirements, especially in light of the increasing complexity of AS.

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Development of a methodology for Sustainable Lifecycle Engineering (SLE) Objectives and approach to integrate sustainability aspects in the engineering process.

The aim of the research project is to develop a development methodology "Sustainable Lifecycle Engineering" (SLE) to support the development process of technical systems. The methodology aims to integrate sustainability aspects into the development process from the beginning and is based on existing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches, which are extended to include sustainability aspects.



The project focuses on three main areas:



Identification and design of sustainability aspects: Here, sustainability aspects in engineering are identified and made transparent. This includes dimensions such as ecological, economic, and social sustainability, as well as the integration of target systems and laws.



Model-based methods for decision support:

This area focuses on how sustainability aspects and influencing factors can be captured and evaluated in a model-based manner. This is intended to provide developers with tools for assessing the sustainability impacts of various solution options at an early stage and resolving conflicting goals.



Sustainable data management in the product life cycle: The aim is to record and manage sustainability data throughout the entire product life cycle. This will help identify relevant sustainability aspects and verify assumptions in the development phase.



The project will be validated through pilot projects and aims to transfer the results to other companies. It also includes the implementation of a prototype decision support assistance system.