Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of at least two glass panes bonded together by a polymer interlayer. In the event of fracture, this configuration has the advantage that glass fragments remain adhered to the interlayer and the laminate retains a certain residual load-bearing capacity. This characteristic post-fracture behaviour is influenced by numerous factors—most notably the geometry and arrangement of cracks, which play a decisive role in the post-breakage behaviour of laminated glass.

In particular, the delamination behaviour between the interlayer and the glass is a key factor governing the post-breakage response of laminated glass. The objective is to investigate how geometric parameters influence the delamination propagation in fractured laminates and how these parameters affect the post-breakage behaviour.

Possible focus areas of the thesis may include:

- Experimental tensile tests on controlled fractured laminated glass specimens and interpretation of the results.

- Numerical investigations of the residual load-bearing capacity of laminated glass considering delamination propagation.

- Development of analytical approaches to describe delamination and the resulting load transfer mechanisms.

The transformation towards a genuine circular economy in the construction industry requires that materials and products can be evaluated after use and, if necessary, reused in whole or in part. Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of glass panes with plastic films in between and is used, among other things, for overhead glazing, balustrades and windshields.

Currently, laminated safety glass elements are usually crushed after their life. Direct reuse does not usually take place, as there are no criteria for deciding which laminated safety glass panes still have sufficient durability and composite effect.

The construction industry faces the challenge of massively reducing CO₂ emissions. Glass is energy-intensive to manufacture, but theoretically infinitely recyclable or – even better – directly reusable. The problem is that recycled glass can have lower surface strength than new glass due to surface defects, which means it has a reduced load-bearing capacity.

In order to be able to use glass safely in new windows and facades, both the limit state of load-bearing capacity (stress) and the limit state of serviceability (deformation/deflection) must be verified. In certain cases, the limit state of serviceability is decisive.

The strength of float glass depends largely on the duration of the load and the environmental conditions. This is due to subcritical crack growth: under tensile stress, water molecules from the air humidity react with the silicon-oxygen bonds at the crack tip. This causes existing microcracks to grow over time until they reach a critical length and the component fails.

The central hypothesis of this work is that laminating with a PVB film seals the glass surface so effectively that moisture is prevented from reaching the crack tip, or at least greatly delayed. As a result, the side facing the polymer could have a significantly higher effective strength than a free glass surface.

Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of at least two glass panes that are bonded together by a polymer interlayer. In the event of fracture, this has the advantage that the glass fragments adhere to the interlayer, allowing the laminate to retain a residual load-bearing capacity. This characteristic post-fracture behavior is influenced by numerous factors – in particular, the geometry and arrangement of the cracks play a decisive role.

The aim of the study is to investigate how key parameters of the crack structure – such as the degree of fragmentation, geometry, orientation, and configuration of the cracks – affect the residual load-bearing capacity of laminated safety glass.

Context

A circular-economy approach seeks to extend the service life of resources and products by moving beyond traditional recycling towards reuse and remanufacturing. In architectural glass construction, this means dismantling glazing units, separating their components, cleaning them and upgrading them to new products. Recovered aged flat glass has already been used as a feedstock for laminated glass and insulating glazing units. However, the interaction of aged glass surfaces with new processing components — such as silicone sealants, polymer interlayers and metal coatings — has not been thoroughly investigated. Ageing phenomena such as changes in surface topography, chemical alterations, corrosion, surface damage and contamination occur due to exposure to weather cycles, UV radiation and mechanical loading throughout the glass’s service life. These changes may affect adhesion, durability and overall performance of new products manufactured from reclaimed glass. The aim of this thesis is to analyse these ageing mechanisms systematically and to assess their influence on the remanufacturing processes for aged float glass.

Possible topics for the thesis could include:

- Literature research on aging mechanisms of float glass

- Experiments on surface roughness

- Investigation of chemical changes on the glass surface

- Compatibility tests Evaluation of interactions between aged glass and finishing components

- Derivation of recommendations for action for the further processing of aged glazing and its integration into the circular economy

Languages: english or german

Context

Reusing flat glass requires reliable knowledge of its mechanical properties, particularly bending tensile strength, since glass fails at surface defects. The characteristic bending tensile strength of float glass is specified in DIN EN 572‑1 based on tests on new glass. Additional surface damage arising from manufacturing, processing, transport, installation, use (e.g., cleaning) and dismantling can significantly reduce the residual strength of aged glass. There is a lack of quantitative data on how ageing affects the strength distribution of reclaimed glazing. To make sound decisions on the structural reuse of aged glass, it is essential to determine its strength statistically and compare it with normative values. This thesis aims to contribute to the assessment of residual strength in aged glass panes, thereby providing a scientific basis for safe and economical reuse.

Possible topics for the thesis could include:

– Literature research on the characterization of the flexural strength of float glass,

- Literature research on studies to determine the strength of aged glazing and comparison with new glass,

- Experimental investigations: preparation of samples from dismantled insulating glazing from the 1990s and determination of the biaxial flexural strength of aged glass,

- Examination of the guideline for tested type statics of multi-pane insulating glass (IFT VE-15/1) and analysis of whether the determined strengths of aged glass allow reuse in accordance with the guideline.

Languages: english or german

Laminated safety glass (VSG) consists of at least two layers of glass bonded together by a polymeric interlayer. This has the advantage that, in the event of a breakage, glass fragments adhere to the interlayer, and the laminate retains residual load-bearing capacity. To characterize the post-breakage behavior, tensile and bending tests can be performed on fractured VSG. For this purpose, VSG made of thermally tempered glass or annealed glass (float glass), which has been broken in either a defined or undefined manner, can be used.

Possible focus areas for a thesis could include:

- Development of a method for the reproducible production of VSG panes with varying degrees of fragmentation. The fragmentation levels should reflect those observed in head impact tests on windshields.

- Conducting tensile and bending tests on fragmented VSG panes and interpreting the results.

Vacuum insulating glasses (VIGs) are an innovative window technology with the potential to revolutionize energy-efficient buildings. Windows and transparent facade elements are the main sources of heat loss and CO2 emissions in buildings.VIGs consist of glass panes with a vacuum gap that minimizes thermal effects and improves the energy balance of building envelopes. Small spacers in the va- cuumed inter-pane space ensure stability over decades and significantly influence the behavior of VIGs. Investigation of this influence and the development of standards for the use of VIGs are crucial for the introduction of energy-optimized window and facade systems in Germany and Europe. VIGs could thus make a significant contribution to sustainability in construction.

Glass is a ubiquitous material in modern engineering applications, prized for its transparency, strength, and versatility. However, glass is inherently brittle, and its susceptibility to crack initiation and propagation poses significant challenges in structural and safety-critical contexts. Understanding how cracks propagate in indented glass specimens under subsequent loading is therefore critical for enhancing the safety and reliability of glass- based structures and products.

The outcomes of this thesis are expected to contribute to the knowledge base on glass fracture mechanics and safety assessment. Moreover, the findings may have practical implications for improving the design and perfor- mance of glass components in engineering applications, such as architectural glazing, automotive windshields, and electronic displays.

While the glass panes in conventional lattice shells are typically used only as infill elements, activating the full load-bearing potential of glass can contribute significantly to reducing the material and energy resources of substructures for glass facades.

A current research project is investigating the integration of local and linear connection structures in glass supporting structures, which should help to better exploit the structural potential of the glass panes used and thus reduce the steel consumption in substructures to a necessary minimum. This should ultimately enable the construction of transparent glass structures with a wide variety of shapes and applications.

Vacuum insulated glazing is a highly energy efficient glazing system. Yet, its setup (more precisely the array of support pillars necessary to withstand the high loads of atmospheric pressure (10 tonnes/m2)) evokes complex stress distributions and high stress gradients locally. This can result in the formation of so-called cone cracks which can develop into through-thickness cracks and can thus lead to catastrophic failure of these glazing units. In the design of VIGs it is typically assumed that the glass-pillar contact is not of concern if the separation of pillars is limited. Yet, investiga- tions of various VIGs show that cracks occur anyway and failure can originate at a pillar.

Vacuum insulating glasses (VIGs) are an innovative window technology with the potential to revolutionize energy-efficient buildings. Windows and transparent facade elements are the main sources of heat loss and CO2 emissions in buildings.VIGs consist of glass panes with a vacuum gap that minimizes thermal effects and improves the energy balance of building envelopes. Small spacers in the va- cuumed inter-pane space ensure stability over decades and significantly influence the behavior of VIGs. Investigation of this influence and the development of standards for the use of VIGs are crucial for the introduction of energy-optimized window and facade systems in Germany and Europe. VIGs could thus make a significant contribution to sustainability in construction.

In order to reduce the consumption of raw materials, the production of climate-damaging gases, and the generation of waste, the topic of the circular economy has been coming to the fore for some time. The circular economy is a holistic approach that aims to use raw materials and the resulting products efficiently and for as long as possible. It includes repairing, reusing and recycling.

The aim of a current research project is to predict complex crack propagation during the glass breakage process as well as the resulting fragment geometry and size. To this end, ISM+D is creating a database from experimental studies in which glasses with different thermal toughness levels are broken in a targeted manner. The wave propagation in the glass body resulting from the impact is recorded with special sensors. The fracture pattern is analyzed by means of digital image processing.

Possible topics for a thesis (Bachelor or Master):

- Numerical characterization of fracture morphologies in thermally toughened glasses.

- Stochastic modeling of fracture morphologies in thermally toughened glasses

To address the desire for transparent facades, glass 3D printing will be used to create novel joints for facade applications. Figure 1 shows the construction chamber of the glass 3D printer at the TU Darmstadt, which is to print molten glass onto a heated base plate made of glass.

To understand the process of glass 3D printing, the heating of the base plate using a hot plate and gas burner and the subsequent cooling will be studied. In order to know and reduce the risk of breakage during printing, temperatures and stresses during printing will be studied. For this purpose, a thermographic camera is available to measure the temperature of the glass surface, see Fig. 2b. Numerical simulations are possible to calculate stresses during heating. After cooling, residual stresses may remain in the glass, affecting the optical and mechanical quality of the component. The residual stresses can be studied after printing using stress optics, see Fig. 2a. Experiments on heating and cooling the base plate on the glass 3D printer can be carried out in a thesis.

Vehicle safety has the task of developing vehicles in such a way that accidents are avoided or the consequences of accidents are reduced as much as possible. In the field of pedestrian protection, so-called impactors are used to represent parts of the human body (head, hip and leg) and to assess the risk of injury in the event of a collision with the vehicle. The criteria and limits for assessing impactor load cases are defined and continuously developed by legislation (UN R 127) and consumer protection organizations (Euro NCAP). For example, the area of the windshield is newly included in the legal impact area and extended beyond the previous level for the Euro NCAP consumer protection test.

Further information, application requirements and documents to be submitted, etc. can be found here

Laminated glass consists of at least two sheets of glass joined by a polymer interlayer. In the event of glass breakage, a residual load-bearing behavior occurs in which tensile stresses caused by bending are removed via the polymer interlayer. Numerical mapping of the material behavior of the interlayer in the case of large deformations, as occurs in the case of failure of one or more glass sheets, is currently not possible. The material behavior in this case depends on temperature and loading duration as well as on the magnitude of the load, so that nonlinear viscoelastic material models are necessary.

The innovative and smart glass product eyrise®, based on liquid-crystal technology, can change its transparence and color within seconds. The edges of the glass panes are sealed with a stiff polymeric adhesive. The employed adhesive layers are thin and thereby shear resistant while simultaneously providing a high adhesion between the two adherends. Due to the geometry of the adhesive layer and the requirements of later numerical investigations, two experimental setups are to be dimensioned. By those means, the fracture toughness for both crack opening mode I and II are to be determined while the similar strength of adhesive and adherends have to be considered.

Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of at least two glass panes bonded together by a polymer interlayer. In the event of fracture, this configuration has the advantage that glass fragments remain adhered to the interlayer and the laminate retains a certain residual load-bearing capacity. This characteristic post-fracture behaviour is influenced by numerous factors—most notably the geometry and arrangement of cracks, which play a decisive role in the post-breakage behaviour of laminated glass.

In particular, the delamination behaviour between the interlayer and the glass is a key factor governing the post-breakage response of laminated glass. The objective is to investigate how geometric parameters influence the delamination propagation in fractured laminates and how these parameters affect the post-breakage behaviour.

Possible focus areas of the thesis may include:

- Experimental tensile tests on controlled fractured laminated glass specimens and interpretation of the results.

- Numerical investigations of the residual load-bearing capacity of laminated glass considering delamination propagation.

- Development of analytical approaches to describe delamination and the resulting load transfer mechanisms.

The transformation towards a genuine circular economy in the construction industry requires that materials and products can be evaluated after use and, if necessary, reused in whole or in part. Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of glass panes with plastic films in between and is used, among other things, for overhead glazing, balustrades and windshields.

Currently, laminated safety glass elements are usually crushed after their life. Direct reuse does not usually take place, as there are no criteria for deciding which laminated safety glass panes still have sufficient durability and composite effect.

The construction industry faces the challenge of massively reducing CO₂ emissions. Glass is energy-intensive to manufacture, but theoretically infinitely recyclable or – even better – directly reusable. The problem is that recycled glass can have lower surface strength than new glass due to surface defects, which means it has a reduced load-bearing capacity.

In order to be able to use glass safely in new windows and facades, both the limit state of load-bearing capacity (stress) and the limit state of serviceability (deformation/deflection) must be verified. In certain cases, the limit state of serviceability is decisive.

The strength of float glass depends largely on the duration of the load and the environmental conditions. This is due to subcritical crack growth: under tensile stress, water molecules from the air humidity react with the silicon-oxygen bonds at the crack tip. This causes existing microcracks to grow over time until they reach a critical length and the component fails.

The central hypothesis of this work is that laminating with a PVB film seals the glass surface so effectively that moisture is prevented from reaching the crack tip, or at least greatly delayed. As a result, the side facing the polymer could have a significantly higher effective strength than a free glass surface.

In multiscale mechanics, the microscopic architecture of a material strongly influences its macroscopic behavior. By tailoring the geometry of representative unit cells, it is possible to deliberately design and program desired effective material properties.

This master’s thesis investigates and bridges the validation gap in Project Haystack, a leading open ontology for building systems. By leveraging Semantic Web technologies like RDF, OWL, and SHACL, it proposes standardized methods and tools to enhance ontology consistency, interoperability, and real-world applicability in industrial building management.

Laminated safety glass (LSG) consists of at least two glass panes that are bonded together by a polymer interlayer. In the event of fracture, this has the advantage that the glass fragments adhere to the interlayer, allowing the laminate to retain a residual load-bearing capacity. This characteristic post-fracture behavior is influenced by numerous factors – in particular, the geometry and arrangement of the cracks play a decisive role.

The aim of the study is to investigate how key parameters of the crack structure – such as the degree of fragmentation, geometry, orientation, and configuration of the cracks – affect the residual load-bearing capacity of laminated safety glass.

Context

A circular-economy approach seeks to extend the service life of resources and products by moving beyond traditional recycling towards reuse and remanufacturing. In architectural glass construction, this means dismantling glazing units, separating their components, cleaning them and upgrading them to new products. Recovered aged flat glass has already been used as a feedstock for laminated glass and insulating glazing units. However, the interaction of aged glass surfaces with new processing components — such as silicone sealants, polymer interlayers and metal coatings — has not been thoroughly investigated. Ageing phenomena such as changes in surface topography, chemical alterations, corrosion, surface damage and contamination occur due to exposure to weather cycles, UV radiation and mechanical loading throughout the glass’s service life. These changes may affect adhesion, durability and overall performance of new products manufactured from reclaimed glass. The aim of this thesis is to analyse these ageing mechanisms systematically and to assess their influence on the remanufacturing processes for aged float glass.

Possible topics for the thesis could include:

- Literature research on aging mechanisms of float glass

- Experiments on surface roughness

- Investigation of chemical changes on the glass surface

- Compatibility tests Evaluation of interactions between aged glass and finishing components

- Derivation of recommendations for action for the further processing of aged glazing and its integration into the circular economy

Languages: english or german

Context

Reusing flat glass requires reliable knowledge of its mechanical properties, particularly bending tensile strength, since glass fails at surface defects. The characteristic bending tensile strength of float glass is specified in DIN EN 572‑1 based on tests on new glass. Additional surface damage arising from manufacturing, processing, transport, installation, use (e.g., cleaning) and dismantling can significantly reduce the residual strength of aged glass. There is a lack of quantitative data on how ageing affects the strength distribution of reclaimed glazing. To make sound decisions on the structural reuse of aged glass, it is essential to determine its strength statistically and compare it with normative values. This thesis aims to contribute to the assessment of residual strength in aged glass panes, thereby providing a scientific basis for safe and economical reuse.

Possible topics for the thesis could include:

– Literature research on the characterization of the flexural strength of float glass,

- Literature research on studies to determine the strength of aged glazing and comparison with new glass,

- Experimental investigations: preparation of samples from dismantled insulating glazing from the 1990s and determination of the biaxial flexural strength of aged glass,

- Examination of the guideline for tested type statics of multi-pane insulating glass (IFT VE-15/1) and analysis of whether the determined strengths of aged glass allow reuse in accordance with the guideline.

Languages: english or german

Lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) stem from the computation of fluid flows. They work on the mesoscale with a statistical formulation based in kinetic theory. These methods promise great gains in the computational performance with good scaling for large systems. In recent years, an effort has been undertaken to develop LBMs for the simulation of solid mechanics as well.

Lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) stem from the computation of fluid flows. They work on the mesoscale with a statistical formulation based in kinetic theory. These methods promise great gains in the computational performance with good scaling for large systems. In recent years, an effort has been undertaken to develop LBMs for the simulation of solid mechanics as well.

Lattice-Boltzmann-Methoden (LBM) entstammen der Simulation von Strömungen. Sie arbeiten mit einer statistischen Beschreibung auf Grundlage von kinetischer Theorie. Sie bieten eine sehr gute numerische Effizienz und eignen sich insbesondere für dynamische Probleme. Seit wenigen Jahren werden sie aktiv auch für Festkörpermechanik entwickelt. Dabei wurde auch die Anwendung im Bereich der Bruchmechanik untersucht.

Lattice-Boltzmann-Methoden (LBM) entstammen der Simulation von Strömungen. Sie arbeiten mit einer statistischen Beschreibung auf Grundlage von kinetischer Theorie. Sie bieten eine sehr gute numerische Effizienz und eignen sich insbesondere für dynamische Probleme. Seit wenigen Jahren werden sie aktiv auch für Festkörpermechanik entwickelt.

Die Eisschilde in Grönland und Antarktis sind über große Flächen an ihrer Unterseite nicht am Felsboden festgefroren, so dass Schmelzen über lange Zeiträume ein hydrologisches Systementwickelt. Neben subglazialen Seen und Kanälen, sind auch Wasserkavitäten, die durch das Gleiten von Eis über Undulationen am Felsboden gebildet werden, ein Teil des hydraulischen Systems. Die Entwicklung dieser wassergefüllten Hohlräume ist bisher nur mittelsvereinfachter empirischer Ansätze beschrieben worden.

Liver resection is a common medical procedure used to remove tissue affected by tumors. The human liver, charactarized by its high vascularization, contains vessels of various sizes spanning multiple scales. Liver resection significantly impacts the vascular trees, which are responsible for blood distribution and collection, by removing a substantial number of vessels. This inevitably leads to a redistribution of blood flow.

The simulation of microstructured materials with elasto-plastic deformation behavior is a challenging task. One reason for this is that classical approaches such as the FE2 method are computationally expensive and therefore suited only for very small boundary value problems. In contrast, new data-driven modeling techniques such as physics-augmented neural networks seem to constitute a promising and efficient alternative to obtaining the effective material behavior in a direct manner.

Aktuatorisch eingesetzte Motor-Pumpen-Einheiten (MPE), wie sie bei unserem Industriepartner THOMAS in Herdorf entwickelt werden, sind ein Beispiel für smarte und innovative Produkte mit einem breiten Anwendungsspektrum. Mögliche Einsatzgebiete sind Automatikgetriebe oder Fahrwerksanwendungen im Automobilbereich, aber auch Luft- und Raumfahrtanwendungen und mobile Arbeitsmaschinen.

Lattice-Boltzmann-Methoden (LBM) entstammen der numerischen Strömungssimulation, werden aber auch aktiv für Festkörper entwickelt. Sie bieten eine sehr gute numerische Effizienz und eignen sich insbesondere für transiente und dynamische Probleme.

Lattice-Boltzmann-Methoden (LBM) greifen auf die Methodik und Abstraktion der statistischen Mechanik zurück, um mechanische Probleme mittels eines Transportformalismus zu lösen. Die Entwicklung von LBM für Festkörper hat die Simulation von linearelastischer Deformation sowie von Rissausbreitung in spröden Materialien zum Ziel. Die Umsetzung erfolgt im Rahmen eines Softwareprojekts, geschrieben in Python mit einem objektorientiertem Ansatz.

Compressible two-fluid flow phenomena arise in many industrial applications and natural features. Examples are water–air flows, shock–bubble interaction, water hammer phenomena, surface wave impacts, and the transportation of liquefied natural gas. The study of two-fluid flows is a challenging research area in which modeling and numerical simulation play a key role.

Zur effizienten Berechnung von Mikrostrukturen und ihrer effektiven Eigenschaften wurden in den letzten Jahren Lösungsmethoden basierend auf schnellen Fourier Transformationen, (Fast Fourier Transforms, FFT) entwickelt. Vorteile der Methode stellen eine sehr gute Parallelisierbarkeit und effiziente Speichernutzung dar. Eine Implementierung basierend auf einer Verschiebungsformulierung wurde prototypisch in Python umgesetzt.

The urgency of developing more sustainable building materials and methods is obvious. Thus, novel building materials such as paper are gaining relevance. Until now, paper in buildings has been used primarily in furniture construction or for temporary structures. The insights resulting from these applications and additional research show that paper also has considerable potential as a building material for permanent load-bearing structures.

For a holistic consideration of paper as a building material, joining techniques must be examined, among other things. Often, glued papers cannot be recycled after their lifespan. For this reason, mechanical fasteners for paper construction should be considered. The goal of this work is to investigate shear-bearing connections of mechanical fasteners in paper both experimentally and numerically/analytically.

Cost-effective and sustainable construction is a hot topic due to the extremely tight housing market and the need to make future construction environmentally friendly. Tiny houses made of paper offer a sustainable and innovative alternative to conventional building materials. Paper as a building material is lightweight, recyclable and has a significantly lower environmental impact, as it comes from renewable resources and can be easily recycled at the end of its life cycle. These properties make it particularly attractive for the construction of tiny houses, which already aim for minimalist and environmentally friendly lifestyles. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is therefore essential to fully evaluate the environmental benefits of paper tiny houses. With an LCA, the carbon footprint as well as other environmental factors such as energy consumption, water consumption and waste generation can be quantified over the entire life cycle – from material extraction to disposal. This allows well-founded decisions to be made that contribute to the further optimization and acceptance of this sustainable construction method.

Heat pumps have been identified as key technologies for decarbonizing the energy system. Heat pumps coupled to borehole heat exchangers are especially efficient.

In this thesis, a benchmark toolbox is developed to support the comparability of borehole heat exchanger models.

Laminated safety glass (VSG) consists of at least two layers of glass bonded together by a polymeric interlayer. This has the advantage that, in the event of a breakage, glass fragments adhere to the interlayer, and the laminate retains residual load-bearing capacity. To characterize the post-breakage behavior, tensile and bending tests can be performed on fractured VSG. For this purpose, VSG made of thermally tempered glass or annealed glass (float glass), which has been broken in either a defined or undefined manner, can be used.

Possible focus areas for a thesis could include:

- Development of a method for the reproducible production of VSG panes with varying degrees of fragmentation. The fragmentation levels should reflect those observed in head impact tests on windshields.

- Conducting tensile and bending tests on fragmented VSG panes and interpreting the results.

Knowledge transfer processes play a central role in engineering. These are processes by which explicit and tacit knowledge is shared and converted. How can these processes be integrated into the professional day-to-day routine?

Hessenpark is an open-air museum dedicated to historical village life in our federal state. In addition to the preservation of historical objects of daily use and the cultivation of traditional craftsmanship, aspects of monument preservation also play a major role in its museum concept. So far, over 100 historic buildings worthy of protection have been saved from total demolition by relocating them to the museum grounds. However, the preservation of these buildings is constantly facing new challenges, whose solutions through AM are to be investigated.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the extent to which 3D-printed tiles could be used to restore damaged roofs. Often, historical building elements are no longer available on the market. 3D scanning and modeling based on existing examples offers the potential to “reprint” such. In addition to the theoretical part, which describes the basics and working methods of heritage conservation and additive manufacturing, a practical investigation using the example of historical roof tiles is also to be carried out and evaluated as part of this work.

Vacuum insulating glasses (VIGs) are an innovative window technology with the potential to revolutionize energy-efficient buildings. Windows and transparent facade elements are the main sources of heat loss and CO2 emissions in buildings.VIGs consist of glass panes with a vacuum gap that minimizes thermal effects and improves the energy balance of building envelopes. Small spacers in the va- cuumed inter-pane space ensure stability over decades and significantly influence the behavior of VIGs. Investigation of this influence and the development of standards for the use of VIGs are crucial for the introduction of energy-optimized window and facade systems in Germany and Europe. VIGs could thus make a significant contribution to sustainability in construction.

3D printing technology is making its way into the construction industry. While other sectors have already seen widespread market adoption, our industry‘s need for large-format components presents additive manufacturing with its own unique challenges. The research and development of such components often still takes place on a trial-and-error basis and thus requires an enormous effort, as 3D printing processes often take hours or even days. A novel approach(1) links the geometry to be printed with the rheological properties of the raw material and tries to predict their printability in a process with tree degrees of freedom, using finite element methodology. This approach has already been verified in terms of feasibility.

The purpose of the study is to first adapt the existing methodology to the research on additive manufacturing of clay and ceramic components carried out at the TU Darmstadt. In a second step the methodology needs to be developed further, to enable the simulation of a printing-process six degrees of freedom. Finally, predictions have to be made which kinds of geometries could be possible to print with this evolved process, and which limitations of it might have

The construction sector is, due to the sheer size of buildings as its final roducts, one of the largest emmiters of waste in the European Union. For much of this, the demolition of buildings is to be held accountable, but also during production of building components a significant quantity of surpluses and waste appears. While novel approaches attempt to recylcle shredded ceramics into new bricks, other leftovers still remain unused. The purpose of the study is to first explore the different kinds of wastes and surpluses, that occur during brick production. Also, their yearly occurence needs to be quantified. In a second step, different strategies need to be formulated to up-, down- or recycle these leftovers. Further, depending on the formulated strategies, experiments have to be carried out als a proof-of-concept for some of the strategies. Last, predictions have to be calculated on how much economic and environmental impact the up-, re- or downcycling of the production leftovers could have.

Winter sports enthusiasts and mountain infrastructure are constantly threatened by the danger of snow avalanches. But how do these avalanches actually form? Similar to the failure of constructions, avalanches can be traced back to a weakness in the snowpack. However, thanks to modern fracture mechanics and solid material knowledge, we are now facing new possibilities for predicting avalanches more accurately.

Research goal

The aim is to create a practical tool that allows users to immediately assess the initiation and propagation tendencies of snow avalanches by inputting snowpack data.

In response to growing concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability, research has intensified into strategies for enhancing the energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions of existing buildings through retrofitting measures. Additionally, there is increasing interest in understanding the thermal performance of green roofs and facades across different climates, as well as exploring the potential of green urban infrastructure as nature-based solutions for mitigating heat island effects and addressing flooding risks in urban areas. For bachelor's and master's students majoring in architecture, urban development, civil engineering, environmental engineering, energy science and engineering, etc., the topics to be offered include, but are not limited to the attachment.

Vacuum insulating glasses (VIGs) are an innovative window technology with the potential to revolutionize energy-efficient buildings. Windows and transparent facade elements are the main sources of heat loss and CO2 emissions in buildings.VIGs consist of glass panes with a vacuum gap that minimizes thermal effects and improves the energy balance of building envelopes. Small spacers in the va- cuumed inter-pane space ensure stability over decades and significantly influence the behavior of VIGs. Investigation of this influence and the development of standards for the use of VIGs are crucial for the introduction of energy-optimized window and facade systems in Germany and Europe. VIGs could thus make a significant contribution to sustainability in construction.

In order to achieve climate neutrality in Europe by 2050, the construction sector, which is responsible for high resource and energy consumption, offers significant potential for savings. In order to minimise resource and energy consumption, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the built environment as society's largest repository of raw materials and its use in a circular economy. Digital methods can play a key role in establishing a circular economy.

Object recognition is a versatile technology that can also be used in the construction industry for a wide range of tasks and problems.

Glass is a ubiquitous material in modern engineering applications, prized for its transparency, strength, and versatility. However, glass is inherently brittle, and its susceptibility to crack initiation and propagation poses significant challenges in structural and safety-critical contexts. Understanding how cracks propagate in indented glass specimens under subsequent loading is therefore critical for enhancing the safety and reliability of glass- based structures and products.

The outcomes of this thesis are expected to contribute to the knowledge base on glass fracture mechanics and safety assessment. Moreover, the findings may have practical implications for improving the design and perfor- mance of glass components in engineering applications, such as architectural glazing, automotive windshields, and electronic displays.

While the glass panes in conventional lattice shells are typically used only as infill elements, activating the full load-bearing potential of glass can contribute significantly to reducing the material and energy resources of substructures for glass facades.

A current research project is investigating the integration of local and linear connection structures in glass supporting structures, which should help to better exploit the structural potential of the glass panes used and thus reduce the steel consumption in substructures to a necessary minimum. This should ultimately enable the construction of transparent glass structures with a wide variety of shapes and applications.

Vacuum insulated glazing is a highly energy efficient glazing system. Yet, its setup (more precisely the array of support pillars necessary to withstand the high loads of atmospheric pressure (10 tonnes/m2)) evokes complex stress distributions and high stress gradients locally. This can result in the formation of so-called cone cracks which can develop into through-thickness cracks and can thus lead to catastrophic failure of these glazing units. In the design of VIGs it is typically assumed that the glass-pillar contact is not of concern if the separation of pillars is limited. Yet, investiga- tions of various VIGs show that cracks occur anyway and failure can originate at a pillar.

Vacuum insulating glasses (VIGs) are an innovative window technology with the potential to revolutionize energy-efficient buildings. Windows and transparent facade elements are the main sources of heat loss and CO2 emissions in buildings.VIGs consist of glass panes with a vacuum gap that minimizes thermal effects and improves the energy balance of building envelopes. Small spacers in the va- cuumed inter-pane space ensure stability over decades and significantly influence the behavior of VIGs. Investigation of this influence and the development of standards for the use of VIGs are crucial for the introduction of energy-optimized window and facade systems in Germany and Europe. VIGs could thus make a significant contribution to sustainability in construction.

Construction logistics deals with the transport and storage of building materials as part of the execution of a construction project. The task of supply logistics is to provide the construction site with the required building materials as resource-efficiently as possible and in line with the demand. Within the framework of transport planning, the means of transport, i.e. lorry, train or ship, must be loaded as optimally as possible. This planning process could be supported by the use of a Building Information Model (BIM). The thesis is offered with possible practical support from Max Bögl.