Methods of modeling and
simulation of technical systems

In many areas of engineering, modeling and simulation of technical systems is an important part of research and teaching. In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, modeling and simulation of materials, structures and processes has been used interdisciplinarily in all disciplines for many years as an important method for analysis and behavior prediction. This has resulted in numerous research efforts by the disciplines.

Among others, research is conducted in the following areas:

• development and numerical simulation of mechanical models of technical structures and systems
• Modeling of mechanical systems for the realistic recording of load-bearing structures
• Modeling and simulation of road traffic, environmental pollution by immission, water flows and socio-technical systems
• Earthquake effects on the load-bearing behavior of spatial structures
• Prediction of the bearing capacity of foundations
• Analysis of construction processes in civil engineering and structural engineering
• Modeling and simulation of flow processes in hydraulic engineering.

In all disciplines, modeling and simulation are also used in teaching. This makes structures and processes more vivid for students and illustrates their behavior in a practical way.
Characteristics of the joint research focus on modeling and simulation of technical systems are the cross-material modeling and simulation methods (wood, concrete, steel, glass, soil), the continuum mechanical and structural mechanical modeling, finite element method for spatial discretization, time integration for solving dynamic processes but also the stochastic discrete or continuous simulation of logistics, traffic areas, hydraulic behavior and construction processes for forecasting the dynamic behavior and process management.

The simulation of technical systems is an interdisciplinary research focus within the University of Kassel. The described activities of the departments of the faculty can also be integrated into this focus.

The interdisciplinary orientation of this focus becomes clear, among other things, through the specialization "Modeling, Simulation and Structural Technologies" in the international continuing education online master's degree "Wind-Energy-Systems", which is anchored in the department.