Construction industry sponsorship award for outstanding theses

Sarah Niemeyer received the prize for her bachelor's thesis "Experimental investigations into the influence of diameter and driving angle on shear-stressed connections with wooden dowels". Ferdinand Kopp was awarded for his Master's thesis "Numerical simulation of the load-bearing behavior of displacement piles with consideration of the influences from the pile manufacturing process using the CEL method".

Sarah Niemeyer investigated the load-bearing and strength behavior of dowels made of beech wood in her bachelor's thesis. Such wooden dowels are used as fasteners in timber construction. Although they are traditional fasteners, nowadays wooden dowels are only used in timber constructions to temporarily secure the position and as an assembly aid during the construction process. This is tantamount to a technical regression. Consequently, there is a great need for research into the mechanical and structural properties of wooden dowels.

As part of her bachelor's thesis, Sarah Niemeyer is conducting experimental and analytical studies that provide valuable insights into the strength and bending behavior of dowels under shear loads. The beech wood dowels proved to be versatile fasteners that are inadequately described in the literature and standardization and are therefore completely underestimated in their load-bearing behavior. Sarah Niemeyer's work provides an excellent basis for the further development of resource-saving alternatives to conventional production methods in timber construction.

In his master's thesis, Ferdinand Kopp deals with the load-bearing behavior of displacement piles, taking into account the change in condition of the surrounding soil caused by the pile manufacturing process. Such piles are used, for example, for foundations, i.e. as foundations for offshore wind turbines. These are pipes made of ductile cast iron, which are driven into the ground and then injected or filled with concrete.

In his work, Ferdinand Kopp simulates the pile load-bearing behavior using numerical methods, in particular the so-called CEL method. This enables him to reproduce the deformations that occur when the piles are driven into the ground in the calculation model. The calculation results correspond much more closely to reality than is the case with conventional methods in practice. The more realistic pile load-bearing capacities determined with the CEL method are six times higher than with conventional calculation models. The results of Ferdinand Kopp's work can form the basis for further research that will help to increase the cost-effectiveness of the use of displacement piles and reduce the consumption of resources in the future.

The results of both prizewinners were very convincing and valuable, the jury judged. The work combines scientific standards with direct practical relevance in an outstanding way and is exemplary of the close link between university research, teaching and knowledge transfer. Both works fulfill the evaluation criterion "contribution to solving essential problems in engineering practice" very well. They also exemplify how the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering generates concrete contributions to the conservation of resources in construction and thus also to the achievement of sustainability goals.

The prize is sponsored by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Stufenausbildung (Bau) Kassel - ASK and is endowed with a total of 3000 euros. It is awarded in cooperation with the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Kassel once a year in a public ceremony to students of the faculty for outstanding final theses. The selection criterion is that the work to be awarded makes a contribution to solving significant problems in engineering practice, taking into account cost-effective planning, design and construction.

The North Hessian construction industry sponsorship prize continues the tradition of the KBB prize, which was first awarded 36 years ago. It is therefore the longest-standing prize for student theses at the University of Kassel.

Sarah Niemeyer's Bachelor's thesis was supervised by Prof. Werner Seim (Department of Building Conservation and Timber Construction). Since completing her Bachelor's degree, Sarah Niemeyer has been studying for a Master's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Kassel.

Ferdinand Kopp's Master's thesis was supervised by Prof. Oliver Reul (Department of Geotechnics). Since completing his Master's degree, Ferdinand Kopp has been working as a construction supervisor in the field of civil engineering at an engineering office in North Hesse.