Research

The department has set itself the goal of researching and optimizing nano- and microstructures of inorganic-mineral materials in the construction industry in order to improve the practical behavior of the material under the respective conditions of use. This approach runs like a thread through the entire basic and practice-oriented research and development activities of the department.

Current research focuses include ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC) with a compressive strength of >130 N/mm2 and very high tensile strength as well as significantly improved durability against damaging substances. They represent a milestone in concrete construction. With the aim of increasing the impermeability and thus strength and resistance to harmful substances, calculations are carried out to optimize the dense fine-grain packings. This results in the need to adjust the rheological properties, which are often only made possible by adding chemical admixtures. The interaction of these admixtures with mineral surfaces is also the subject of current research at the department. High-performance concretes are developed and researched on the basis of cement-based binder systems as well as on cement-free binders (alkali-activated materials - AAM). Based on these packing density optimized high performance materials, chemically expanded concrete foams are also researched at the department in their fundamentals and for application.

In the construction industry, gypsum-bonded building materials are used both in new buildings and in renovation work. Water-resistant gypsum-bonded mortars for historic preservation are being developed at the department. Furthermore, the reaction kinetics and the microstructure development of gypsum-bonded building materials are investigated with state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Another focus at the department is the investigation of the reaction kinetics of C-S-H phases under hydrothermal formation (sand-lime bricks) using high-resolution microscopic methods.