Second International GRK 2250/1 Summer School

The Dresden International Summer School (DISS) was held in Dresden between the 14th and 19th of July 2019. The goal of the Summer School was to bring master’s and PhD students together, who work on impact resistance of concrete structures and fiber-reinforced cement-based materials, and give them a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research in the field. Besides the members of the GRK 2250, twenty international master’s and PhD students from various universities around the world participated at the event. The focus was on use of textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) and strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) for strengthening of existing concrete structures against impact loading.

In the first day of the Summer School the invited researchers got familiar with the research concept of the GRK 2250 and with the high-performance cementitious composites, which are commonly investigated in the project. Various types of reinforcements were presented and clarified regarding their function and advantages and different specimen types were produced covering the entire range of meso-level experiments.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School observing two different types of carbon textile

The second day of the Summer School was dedicated to the research presentations of the GRK 2250 doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. The evening social program included a guided tour through the historical center of Dresden.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School in the historical center of Dresden

In the third day of the event the associated GRK 2250 members gave short presentations on their research, while the prepared posters served as a good basis for detailed discussions in the breaks. Besides that, Prof. Edeltraud Günther (TU Dresden) gave a lecture on Sustainability and Resilience and Prof. Marco di Prisco (Politecnico di Milano) held a lecture on New Cementitious Composite Materials for Tunnel Safety.

The second part of the day was marked by experimental testing in the laboratory of the Institute of Construction Materials, in which composite specimens were tested with different reinforcement configurations under quasi-static and impact tensile loading. Same as during the production in the first day, the students documented their practical exercises in detail, which was necessary for a subsequent results evaluation.

In the next day Prof. Josko Ozbolt (TU Stuttgart), Assist. Prof. Ravi Ranade (University at Buffalo, USA) and Dr. Jaap Weerheijm (TU Delft, The Netherlands) held lectures on such topics as Dynamic Fracture of Concrete and SHCC for Infrastructure Resilience.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School in a lecture session

For getting a better insight into the structural level research done in the frame of the GRK 2250, the DISS participants had a guided tour through the lab of the Institute of Concrete Structures, where they could also follow a drop tower impact test on a large reinforced concrete plate.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School being guided in the Otto-Mohr laboratory

Finally, the highlight of the day was the bicycle tour from the campus of the TU Dresden to Pillnitz with short stops in the Großer Garten and at the Blaues Wunder Bridge on the Elbe river.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School on a bicycle tour in Großer Garten in Dresden

The fifth day of the summer school was dedicated to the evaluation of the practical exercises and of the obtained experimental results by the invited researchers. The evaluation was done in teams of five people, which allowed covering the entire range of performed exercises in an efficient and synergetic way. Besides the evaluation itself, the participants performed optical analyses of the tested specimens, such as Digital Microscopy and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM).

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School performing ESEM analsis

In the end, the teams had to summarize their findings in presentations on specific topics based on the performed experimental work.

Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School presenting their experimental findings in teams
Participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School presenting their experimental findings in teams

The teams did a great job both in terms of scientific evaluation and team work, which could be judged based on their well-structured and detailed presentations.

Group photo of the participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School in the Alfred-Hütter Laboratory
Coupon specimen of SHCC signed by all the participants of the GRK 2250/1 International Summer School