Sustainability of building materials and structures

• Prediction of service life of reinforced concrete structures by means of probabilistic models
• Optimizing energy consumption and environmental pollution with respect to designed service life of reinforced concrete structures
• Use of industrial by-products such as lime to produce high performance low energy building materials
• Reduction of mass flow in construction industry

Durability and Preventive Measures to Protect Reinforced Concrete and Concrete Structures

• Chloride penetration by capillary suction during exposure to sea water in the tidal zone and salt solutions, prediction of service life of reinforced concrete structures
• Observation of chloride penetration depth in old reinforced concrete structures and comparison with prediction models
• Investigations into the effectiveness of surface impregnation of concrete with water repellent agents (silanes and siloxanes)
• Effectiveness of integral water repellent treatment as a chloride barrier
• Durability and service life under combined mechanical and environmental loads

 

Strain hardening cement-based composites (SHCC)

• Optimization of strain hardening cement-based composites with respect to crack formation and durability
• Characterization of strain hardening cement-based composites under imposed strains for realistic design
• Potential for applications in practice

 

Shrinkage of concrete

• Drying and moisture gradients, crack formation
• Mechanisms of shrinkage of nano-porous materials such as hardened cement paste
• Shrinkage of water repellent treated concrete

 

Mechanics of composite materials

• Simulation of the structure of composite materials
• Determination of fracture mechanics parameters by means of inverse analysis
• Damage of composite structures under combined mechanical and environmental loads
• Size effect on fracture mechanics parameters
• Influence of surface energy on strength and strain softening