Tomographic coordinate measurement device

• Subject Area: Construction Engineering and Architecture
• Term: Funded in 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 563833679

At the TU Kaiserslautern, a worldwide unique tomography portal is currently being built as part of the DFG large-scale equipment initiative, which will enable the investigation of entire large-scale components under load bearing conditions (commissioning 06/2023). With regard to the applicants' research fields, the focus of the envisaged research activities will be on the damage and ageing mechanisms of non-metallic reinforcement (bars, textiles, fibres) and their bond with concrete, as well as the change in shape of built-in components after static, cyclic and thermal loading, and the structural change in materials and contact surfaces. The test specimens can reach dimensions of 6000 × 1000 × 700 mm3. However, the voxel size is limited to approximately [50-100] µm. Nevertheless, depending on the task, several hours/days of scanning periods, with correspondingly large amounts of data, can be expected. The micro computed tomograph for which this application is intended (maximum specimen dimensions of L = 391 mm and Ø = 199 mm, resolution up to 1 µm) would allow efficient preliminary tests on small-scale specimens to develop strategies for carrying out tests in the large-scale tomography portal. In addition, through innovative software solutions that are included in the micro-computed tomograph, tomography parameters such as resolution and scanning duration, among others, can be optimised automatically. This enables a more targeted planning of large-scale experiments, while minimising expensive and time-consuming empirical preliminary tests. In addition, small sections of the specimens examined in the large-scale computer tomograph could be analysed in more detail (at higher resolution) with the micro computed tomograph. This would make way for new and unique possibilities for an overall multi-scale investigation of building components and their respective constituents/parts.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Koordinatenmessgerät mit Tomografieeinrichtung
• Instrumentation Group: 4070 Spezielle Röntgengeräte für Materialanalyse, Strukturforschung und Werkstoff-Bestrahlung
• Applicant Institution: Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Pahn