Courses

The aim of the course is to familiarize the students with the most important materials, their production and application as well as their behavior under mechanical stress and under the influence of the weather. The students should be enabled to select materials according to their application and to consider the possibilities but also the limits of the materials in the later design and construction of buildings in order to avoid structural damage.

In this submodule, the fundamentals of chemistry are developed. The understanding of the systematics of the properties of matter and of substance conversions is to be imparted. A central aspect is the handling of concentration measures and quantity ratios in mixtures and in reactions. The understanding of chemical properties and reactions should serve the engineer as a basis for the selection of suitable materials. The chemical knowledge imparted should also serve as a basis for further courses on topics such as corrosion, construction and materials science, as well as environmental aspects.

Students are taught the fundamentals of concrete as a material and its durability  and possible applications in the form of special concretes. Furthermore, the basics of material mechanics in the load-dependent strength and deformation behavior of inorganic building materials under static and dynamic loading are covered. In the treatment of durability, damage mechanisms of materials and their causes are dealt with and possibilities for their prevention are given; the focus is on the materials concrete and steel.

In the research-oriented in-depth module, students should be taught the scientific background of modern high-performance materials in the construction industry . Through an in-depth understanding of the chemical fundamentals of inorganic binders and in particular of cements (DIN EN 197), they should be able to actively participate in current research projects in the field and their practical implementation.

In the "Applied Materials Technology" focus area, students are given an understanding of the standardized and professional selection, tendering, application and testing of construction materials and of planning and design in accordance with the applicable standards and regulations. The overall module is divided into AWT1: Concrete Technology and AWT2: Applied Materials Technology. In AWT 1, practical laboratory work with the building materials is an important component in order to get a feel for the workability of the materials by handling them yourself. The laboratory work covers workability in the fresh state, non-destructive and destructive testing through to quality assurance and repair. AWT 2 focuses on the most commonly used building material, concrete, with its wide range of applications in the construction industry. In addition to concrete, concrete products will also be covered. Experts from the industry will give lectures on this topic.

Natural stones
The students are to be taught the variety of natural stone applications in interior and exterior construction as well as in outdoor facilities. A further goal is the utilization of special physico-mechanical and chemical-mineralogical properties of the different natural stones for damage-free use in the building industry. Furthermore, the fundamentals of construction with natural stones are taught, as well as evaluation possibilities of natural stone surfaces.

Plastics
Students acquire in-depth knowledge of the chemical, physical and mechanical behavior of the various types of polymers as well as their application and possible damage in the construction industry. This will enable them to make appropriate building material decisions for the particular application and to avoid damage during planning and execution.

Bituminous building materials
The students acquire in-depth knowledge of the production, chemical structure, mechanical as well as environmentally relevant properties and their changes as a result of aging of bitumen and of possibilities to change these through suitable modifications. They are able to independently measure the relevant properties by means of applied laboratory tests and to determine the type and grade of bitumen as well as to select suitable construction materials for durable asphalt roads.

Students will be guided to freely design a concrete canoe against the background of feasibility shaping and design and to construct and manufacture the formwork required for construction. In addition, students must address concrete technology issues and specifically adapt the material to the concrete canoe.

This course is held every 2 years according to the concrete canoe race and runs for 2 semesters starting in the winter semester. 

In this advanced module, students are taught analytical methods for characterizing and developing modern high-performance materials in civil engineering. Through the independent performance of analyses and the subsequent evaluation of the results, the students learn how to deal with scientific questions.

Applications of high-performance materials

In this research-oriented specialization module, students are taught the scientific background of modern high-performance materials in the construction industry. By gaining an insight into the results of current research projects, they acquire knowledge about the processing of scientific issues of basic and application-oriented research in relation to high-performance materials.

Sustainable mineral building materials

This course teaches the basics of sustainable construction and comprehensively examines ecological aspects of building materials. One focus is on the extraction and processing of raw materials and the associated environmental impact, e.g. when extracting critical resources. The production of building materials is examined from an ecological perspective - from cement to recycled materials such as fly ash and new cement substitutes. Environmentally friendly concrete production and innovative binders are also covered. Topics such as life cycle analyses and net-zero strategies show how building materials can be evaluated over their entire service life. Practical modules on maintenance, recycling and sustainable planning provide insights into future-oriented construction.