Welcome to the webpage of the group-“Engineering Materials and Building Preservation”

In the research group of Engineering Materials and Building Preservation, the research focuses on reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, which form a significant part of our infrastructure. The investigations cover all aspects of the whole life cycle of a structure – from the design stage until demolition, which ranges over several decades. One aspect entails selecting and characterizing reliable and durable materials, including the service-life design in the design phase, especially for structures exposed to severe environments. During the service life, non-destructive condition assessment followed by performance prediction is of major importance, which could result in repair and rehabilitation and, in the worst case, demolition of a structure. In every phase of a structure’s life, in addition to the reliability of the structure, every decision in service life management affects the sustainability of a structure, which requires further decision-making. Our research provides the basis to design, build and sustainably maintain our structures with low emissions and resource efficiency in the future.

Research Scope

  • Deterioration mechanisms and durability of concrete and reinforced concrete
  • Experimental, numerical and probabilistic investigations of reinforcement corrosion
  • Service-life design and estimation of the remaining service life of reinforced concrete structures
  • Condition assessment of reinforced concrete structures using non-destructive testing and monitoring
  • Reliability assessment of non-destructive testing methods
  • Maintenance planning of reinforced concrete structures
  • Sustainability assessment in the life cycle of reinforced concrete structures
  • Building Information Modeling of existing structures

Photo of the month

August 2023

Autogenous self-healing
The photo shows an opened concrete specimen after it has been exposed to a continuous flow of water for about 2 months as a part of an autogenous self-healing test. The specimen was then opened, and the crack surface was sprayed with phenolphthalein indicator. Crack healing occurred through CaCO3 precipitation as can be seen from the non-pink colored areas. Nevertheless, exposed rebars exhibit extensive corrosion, highlighting the issues of cracking in reinforced concrete structures. Contact person: Daniel Lahmann

See former months’ photos