Major-Instrumentation Initiative: CT of structural elements under changing load

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Pahn, since 3/2021
• Subject Area: Structural Engineering, Building Informatics and Construction Operation
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 324698814

Computer Tomography has been used for many years in construction materials technology in order to gain knowledge, using small format samples, of the joint structure of construction materials and how they change under different conditions of exposure. However, there is lack of appropriately configured equipment that would enable by means of X-ray technology a better understanding of bearing and deformation behaviour of entire building parts.Hence, in line with the DFG offer to tender, a completely new type of Tomography Portal (TOP) has been conceived; one that can scan building components of real life dimensions under increasing load with high resolution accuracy. It makes use of a high radiation energy, which is indispensable in order for example to illuminate bar-like reinforced concrete components using cross-section dimensions of at least 30 x 30 cm, and imaging of cracks of 0.1 mm width. In addition, a second radiating source has been integrated, which in the case of smaller dimensions or less demanding materials permits higher resolutions.The design has been understood as an interdisciplinary work. The guiding factors in the design were: the needs of the construction industry, machine, X-ray and measuring technology, calibration procedure, mathematical reconstruction of raw data, with their visual preparation and further processing on high performance computers as well as the availability of the research results.In the planning of the facility a versatile use has been considered that would make it possible to investigate construction components with different dimensions from materials of all kinds as well as soils/rocks under different static load configurations and dynamic load collectives. The great interest in the design of the equipment demonstrated during the tender preparation by the researchers of other universities included in the application and by researchers outside structural engineering, promises extensive use of the facility. The broad use will make it possible to employ the facility as the starting point for structured interdisciplinary research projects. In this way the combination of image data and numerical modelling will become a priority.TU Kaiserslautern, for its part, sees an outstanding possibility to establish a research infrastructure and is committed to contribute considerable funding to this project. It further intends to integrate the CT facility into a unique Civil Engineering Equipment Centre (BIG), in which large equipment of national importance is made available to interested researchers in accordance with transparent rules. The aim is to integrate already existing facilities (fire resistance furnace) with equipment to be procured (among other, a shaking table).The Tomography Portal is to be supervised by an inter-university Scientific Council, in which representatives of all neighbouring universities are included. Research data obtained are to be made accessible worldwide on a regular basis.

• DFG Programme: Major Instrumentation Initiatives
• Major Instrumentation: Tomografie-Portal
• Instrumentation Group: 3230 Tomographie- und Schichtgeräte (Röntgen-)
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr.-Ing. Manfred Curbach; Professor Dr.-Ing. Josef Hegger; Professorin Dr. Heike Leitte; Professor Dr.-Ing. Harald S. Müller; Professor Dr.-Ing. Ralf Müller; Professorin Dr. Claudia Redenbach; Professor Dr.-Ing. Jörg Seewig; Professor Dr.-Ing. Christos Vrettos
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell, until 3/2021