Experimental-based modelling and simulation of porous plant tissues under frost and condensation conditions (A01 [B01/B03])

• Subject Area: Mechanics ; Applied Mechanics, Statics and Dynamics ; Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi
• Term: from 2014 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 231064407

The project focuses on the transport of heat and mass in porous plant structures in order to develop concepts for frost- and weather-resistant building materials. An accompanying mathematical framework has been developed by using a multiphasic continuum-mechanical model based on the Theory of Porous Media (TPM). In the second funding period, methods that allow the monitoring of freezing and thawing under controlled conditions (temperature, humidity) will be further developed, integrating results of B03 of the first funding period. The current TPM model will be extended by including microstructural effects for a comprehensive description of ice formation and subsequent applications for smart construction materials.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 141: Biological Design and Integrative Structures. Analysis, Simulation and Implementation in Architecture
• Applicant Institution: Universität Stuttgart
• Project Heads: Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Ehlers, until 6/2018; Privatdozentin Dr. Anita Roth-Nebelsick; Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Steeb