Arbeitsvolumen

Arbeitsvolumen is a German term used across several technical fields to denote either the volume in which a process occurs or the amount of work that must be performed, depending on the context. Because the meaning is context-dependent, the precise interpretation is derived from related terms in use, such as displacement in hydraulics or capacity in planning.

In mechanical engineering and hydraulics, Arbeitsvolumen describes the displacement volume of a cylinder or chamber—the volume swept by a piston during one stroke. It is a key parameter for estimating a machine’s potential work and relates to the pressure–volume relationship. The volume is calculated as V = π(D/2)² × L, where D is the bore diameter and L the stroke length; common units are cubic meters or liters.

In production planning and project management, Arbeitsvolumen denotes the workload or effort required to complete tasks or a process, used to plan capacity and scheduling. It can be expressed in man-hours, person-days, or units of output, and is often compared with available capacity to assess utilization and bottlenecks.

The term also appears in other technical contexts to describe the operating or processing volume within a device or system, such as the space where materials or fluids are handled.

See also: Produktionsvolumen, Arbeitslast, Kapazität, Durchsatz.