Refine
Document Type
- Article (1015) (remove)
Institute
- Professur Theorie und Geschichte der modernen Architektur (393)
- Institut für Strukturmechanik (ISM) (254)
- Professur Informatik im Bauwesen (130)
- Professur Stochastik und Optimierung (40)
- Professur Bauphysik (23)
- In Zusammenarbeit mit der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (21)
- Professur Informatik in der Architektur (15)
- Junior-Professur Computational Architecture (12)
- Institut für Europäische Urbanistik (11)
- Professur Bauchemie und Polymere Werkstoffe (11)
- Materialforschungs- und -prüfanstalt an der Bauhaus-Universität (10)
- Universitätsbibliothek (9)
- Bauhaus-Institut für zukunftsweisende Infrastruktursysteme (b.is) (8)
- F. A. Finger-Institut für Baustoffkunde (FIB) (8)
- Junior-Professur Organisation und vernetzte Medien (8)
- Professur Modellierung und Simulation - Konstruktion (8)
- Professur Stahl- und Hybridbau (7)
- Professur Baubetrieb und Bauverfahren (6)
- Professur Sozialwissenschaftliche Stadtforschung (6)
- Junior-Professur Augmented Reality (5)
- Professur Angewandte Mathematik (5)
- Graduiertenkolleg 1462 (4)
- Professur Raumplanung und Raumforschung (4)
- Professur Werkstoffe des Bauens (4)
- Junior-Professur Komplexe Tragwerke (3)
- Professur Denkmalpflege und Baugeschichte (3)
- Professur Intelligentes Technisches Design (3)
- Professur Siedlungswasserwirtschaft (3)
- Bauhaus-Institut für Geschichte und Theorie der Architektur und Planung (2)
- Erdbebenzentrum (2)
- Graduiertenkolleg Medienanthropologie (GRAMA) (2)
- Institut für Konstruktiven Ingenieurbau (IKI) (2)
- Juniorprofessur Urban Energy Systems (2)
- Professur Baustatik und Bauteilfestigkeit (2)
- Professur Biotechnologie in der Ressourcenwirtschaft (2)
- Professur Content Management und Webtechnologien (2)
- Professur Modellierung und Simulation - Mechanik (2)
- Professur Soziologie und Sozialgeschichte der Stadt (2)
- Professur Stadtplanung (2)
- Professur Verkehrsplanung und Verkehrstechnik (2)
- Professur Verkehrssystemplanung (2)
- Dozentur Film- und Medienwissenschaft (1)
- Geschichte und Theorie der Visuellen Kommunikation (1)
- Hochschule für Musik FRANZ LISZT (1)
- Instructional Design - Didaktik medialer Lernumgebungen (1)
- Internationales Kolleg für Kulturtechnikforschung und Medienphilosophie (IKKM) (1)
- Junior-Professur Europäische Medienkultur (1)
- Junior-Professur Usability (1)
- Juniorprofessur Simulation und Experiment (1)
- Professur Betriebswirtschaftslehre im Bauwesen (1)
- Professur Bodenmechanik (1)
- Professur Grundbau (1)
- Professur Human-Computer Interaction (1)
- Professur Immobilienwirtschaft und -management (1)
- Professur Kulturgeschichte der Moderne (1)
- Professur Marketing und Medien (1)
- Professur Mediensoziologie (1)
- Professur Systeme der Virtuellen Realität (1)
- Professur für Kultur- und Mediensoziologie (1)
- Promotionsstudiengang Kunst und Design-Freie Kunst-Medienkunst (Ph.D) (1)
- Theorie und Geschichte des Design (1)
- Zentrale Einrichtungen, Büro des Präsidenten, Dezernate (1)
- bauhaus.institut für experimentelle Architektur (1)
Keywords
- Bauhaus-Kolloquium (395)
- Weimar (395)
- Angewandte Mathematik (186)
- Strukturmechanik (185)
- Architektur (168)
- 1986 (63)
- 1989 (60)
- Design (59)
- Bauhaus (55)
- Raum (55)
Year of publication
- 1997 (119)
- 2004 (66)
- 1987 (63)
- 2008 (62)
- 1990 (60)
- 2020 (57)
- 2014 (51)
- 1983 (49)
- 2003 (49)
- 2015 (41)
- 2013 (38)
- 2022 (38)
- 1979 (36)
- 2016 (35)
- 2021 (34)
- 2023 (27)
- 1993 (23)
- 2017 (23)
- 2011 (22)
- 2012 (22)
- 1992 (16)
- 2018 (16)
- 2007 (12)
- 2009 (12)
- 2010 (12)
- 2005 (9)
- 2006 (7)
- 2019 (7)
- 2002 (3)
- 1976 (2)
- 2001 (2)
- 1995 (1)
- 2000 (1)
Besides their multiple known benefits regarding urban microclimate, living walls can be used as decentralized stand-alone systems to treat greywater locally at the buildings. While this offers numerous environmental advantages, it can have a considerable impact on the hygrothermal performance of the facade as such systems involve bringing large quantities of water onto the facade. As it is difficult to represent complex entities such as plants in the typical simulation tools used for heat and moisture transport, this study suggests a new approach to tackle this challenge by coupling two tools: ENVI-Met and Delphin. ENVI-Met was used to simulate the impact of the plants to determine the local environmental parameters at the living wall. Delphin, on the other hand, was used to conduct the hygrothermal simulations using the local parameters calculated by ENVI-Met. Four wall constructions were investigated in this study: an uninsulated brick wall, a precast concrete plate, a sandy limestone wall, and a double-shell wall. The results showed that the living wall improved the U-value, the exterior surface temperature, and the heat flux through the wall. Moreover, the living wall did not increase the risk of moisture in the wall during winter and eliminated the risk of condensation.
The imperative to transform current energy provisions is widely acknowledged. However, scant attention has hitherto been directed toward rural municipalities and their innate resources, notably biogenic resources. In this paper, a methodological framework is developed to interconnect resources from waste, wastewater, and agricultural domains for energy utilization. This entails cataloging existing resources, delineating their potential via quantitative assessments utilizing diverse technologies, and encapsulating them in a conceptual model. The formulated models underwent iterative evaluation with engagement from diverse stakeholders. Consequently, 3 main concepts, complemented by 72 sub-concepts, were delineated, all fostering positive contributions to climate protection and providing heat supply in the rural study area. The outcomes’ replicability is underscored by the study area’s generic structure and the employed methodology. Through these inquiries, a framework for the requisite energy transition, with a pronounced emphasis on the coupling of waste, wastewater, and agriculture sectors in rural environments, is robustly analyzed.
The release of the large language model-based chatbot ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022 has brought considerable attention to the subject of artificial intelligence, not only to the public. From the perspective of higher education, ChatGPT challenges various learning and assessment formats as it significantly reduces the effectiveness of their learning and assessment functionalities. In particular, ChatGPT might be applied to formats that require learners to generate text, such as bachelor theses or student research papers. Accordingly, the research question arises to what extent writing of bachelor theses is still a valid learning and assessment format. Correspondingly, in this exploratory study, the first author was asked to write his bachelor’s thesis exploiting ChatGPT. For tracing the impact of ChatGPT methodically, an autoethnographic approach was used. First, all considerations on the potential use of ChatGPT were documented in logs, and second, all ChatGPT chats were logged. Both logs and chat histories were analyzed and are presented along with the recommendations for students regarding the use of ChatGPT suggested by a common framework. In conclusion, ChatGPT is beneficial for thesis writing during various activities, such as brainstorming, structuring, and text revision. However, there are limitations that arise, e.g., in referencing. Thus, ChatGPT requires continuous validation of the outcomes generated and thus fosters learning. Currently, ChatGPT is valued as a beneficial tool in thesis writing. However, writing a conclusive thesis still requires the learner’s meaningful engagement. Accordingly, writing a thesis is still a valid learning and assessment format. With further releases of ChatGPT, an increase in capabilities is to be expected, and the research question needs to be reevaluated from time to time.
The study presents a Machine Learning (ML)-based framework designed to forecast the stress-strain relationship of arc-direct energy deposited mild steel. Based on microstructural characteristics previously extracted using microscopy and X-ray diffraction, approximately 1000 new parameter sets are generated by applying the Latin Hypercube Sampling Method (LHSM). For each parameter set, a Representative Volume Element (RVE) is synthetically created via Voronoi Tessellation. Input raw data for ML-based algorithms comprises these parameter sets or RVE-images, while output raw data includes their corresponding stress-strain relationships calculated after a Finite Element (FE) procedure. Input data undergoes preprocessing involving standardization, feature selection, and image resizing. Similarly, the stress-strain curves, initially unsuitable for training traditional ML algorithms, are preprocessed using cubic splines and occasionally Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The later part of the study focuses on employing multiple ML algorithms, utilizing two main models. The first model predicts stress-strain curves based on microstructural parameters, while the second model does so solely from RVE images. The most accurate prediction yields a Root Mean Squared Error of around 5 MPa, approximately 1% of the yield stress. This outcome suggests that ML models offer precise and efficient methods for characterizing dual-phase steels, establishing a framework for accurate results in material analysis.
Die Planungsforschung hat sich spätestens seit der „kommunikativen Wende“ intensiv damit beschäftigt, wie mit Konflikten umgegangen werden soll und wird. Ansätze der „agonistischen“ Planungstheorie widersprechen der normativen Prämisse, Konsensbildung unter den Planungsbeteiligten anzustreben. Vielmehr wollen sie widerstreitende Positionen normativ für die räumliche Entwicklung fruchtbar machen. Zugleich betonen sie eine vermeintliche Dualität von Planung und Protest, die in der neueren Protesttheorie infrage gestellt wird. Dieser Beitrag zeigt aufbauend auf einer Diskussion von planungs- und protesttheoretischen Ansätzen und einer empirischen Analyse planungsbezogener Proteste in Deutschland, dass diese Proteste von den Planungsakteuren zwar immer stärker als „Normalität“ aufgefasst werden und antagonistische Partizipation trotz zunehmender Konflikthaftigkeit und vermeintlicher Infragestellung der repräsentativen Demokratie kulturell regelgebunden bleibt. Protesthandeln ist Teil ausdifferenzierter „Partizipationsbündel“, die situationsbezogen auch Teilnahme an Beteiligungsverfahren, direktdemokratische Verfahren und Klagen umfassen. Protestierende verfolgen dabei meist eine eher reformorientierte Agenda, die keiner „Zähmung“ bedarf. Allerdings können die zugrunde liegenden Konflikte häufig gar nicht „gelöst“ werden. Planenden hingegen können auch innerhalb eines agonistischen Planungsumfelds rationalistische und deliberative Ansätze zur Verfügung stehen, die sie situationsbezogen und strategisch nutzen.
This paper addresses the scope for action by municipalities in a climate emergency and places it in the framework of ecomodern (urban) policy. We analyse the way in which two German ‘climate emergency municipalities’ translate conflicts of post-fossil transformation into concrete political and planning strategies. Although more than 2,200 authorities around the world have already declared a climate emergency, research on the impact of these resolutions on the political orientation of municipalities is very limited. Our research focus is on the (potentially agonistic) treatment of conflicts in planning. We argue that in times of a socio-ecological crisis, success in conflict resolution cannot refer to appeasement and depoliticisation. Instead, we propose a framework of five criteria, based on critical theory on ecomodern strategies, planning processes and degrowth. Thus, this practice-related and explorative paper connects empirical insights from the German cities of Constance and Berlin with an innovative normative framework. The findings tell a complex story of an, at least partial, admission of the failure of previous climate mitigation strategies, a lack of social institutions of limits, an instrumental relation to nature and a disregard for social injustices. The paper discusses how municipalities, in the context of ongoing tensions over the post-fossil transformation in Germany, on the one hand hold on to business-as-usual approaches, but on the other hand also set political impulses for change.
Obgleich redaktionelle Diversität regelmäßig als eine der Kernherausforderungen für den Journalismus gehandelt wird, tun sich journalistische Organisationen immer noch schwer damit, gleichberechtigte Zugangs-und Entfaltungschancen für Frauen, People of Color, Menschen aus Einwandererfamilien oder auf anderen Ebenen diskriminierungsbetroffene Journalist*innen zu schaffen. Stattdessen zeigt die gender-und diversitätsbezogene Redaktionsforschung, dass Redaktionen nach wie vor in ihren Strukturen, Praktiken und in ihrer Kultur gesellschaftliche Machtverhältnisse widerspiegeln und (re-)produzieren. Doch im Zuge des „Entrepreneurial Journalism“ entstehen heute vielerorts neue Organisationen. Diese journalistischen Neugründungen zeichnen sich unter anderem durch kleinere, offenere und flexiblere Organisationsstrukturen aus. Ihr veränderter organisationaler Charakter wurde jedoch bislang noch nicht tiefergehend im Hinblick auf seine Potenziale und möglichen Risiken für Diversität und (Anti-)Diskriminierung untersucht. Der Beitrag hat somit zum Ziel, journalistische Neugründungen als neuen Gegenstand auf der Agenda der organisations-und diskriminierungsbezogenen Journalismusforschung zu positionieren. Dazu werden ausgewählte Studien zum „Entrepreneurial Journalism“ im Hinblick auf Diversität und (Anti-)Diskriminierung aufgearbeitet und bestehende Desiderata identifiziert. Auf dieser Grundlage wird schließlich eine programmatische Forschungsagenda entwickelt, um empirische Folgeforschung zum Thema anzustoßen.
Calcined clays are interesting starting materials to be used as SCMs (supplementary cementitious materials) in cements or to be converted to geopolymers by activation with a high alkaline activator. The adjustment of the properties in the fresh state, especially regarding the consistency of these binders, is almost exclusively achieved by the addition of water, since commercially available superplasticizers seem to be ineffective in low-calcium geopolymer systems. The aim of this study was a systematic investigation of various PCE (polycarboxylate ester/ether) superplasticizers (methacrylate ester PCE: MPEG, isoprenol ether PCE: IPEG, methallyl ether PCE: HPEG) with respect to their stability in different alkaline activators (NaOH, KOH, sodium and potassium silicate solutions). The effectiveness of superplasticizers (SPs) in low-calcium geopolymer binders was verified by rheological tests. Size exclusion chromatography was used to investigate if structural degradation of the superplasticizers occurs. The investigated PCE superplasticizers showed a thickening effect in the low-calcium geopolymer system. Depending on the alkalinity of the activator solution, a degradation process was detected for all the PCEs investigated. The side chains of the PCEs are cleaved off the backbone by basic ester and ether hydrolysis. The highest degree of degradation was found in sodium and potassium silicate solutions. In alkaline hydroxide solutions, the degradation process increases with increasing alkalinity.
Experimental Validation of Dynamic Response of Small-Scale Metaconcrete Beams at Resonance Vibration
(2023)
Structures and their components experience substantially large vibration amplitudes at resonance, which can cause their failure. The scope of this study is the utilization of silicone-coated steel balls in concrete as damping aggregates to suppress the resonance vibration. The heavy steel cores oscillate with a frequency close to the resonance frequency of the structure. Due to the phase difference between the vibrations of the cores and the structure, the cores counteract the vibration of the structure. The core-coating inclusions are randomly distributed in concrete similar to standard aggregates. This mixture is referred to as metaconcrete. The main goal of this work is to validate the ability of the inclusions to suppress mechanical vibration through laboratory experiments. For this purpose, two small-scale metaconcrete beams were cast and tested. In a free vibration test, the metaconcrete beams exhibited a larger damping ratio compared to a similar beam cast from conventional concrete. The vibration amplitudes of the metaconcrete beams at resonance were measured with a frequency sweep test. In comparison with the conventional concrete beam, both metaconcrete beams demonstrated smaller vibration amplitudes. Both experiments verified an improvement in the dynamic response of the metaconcrete beams at resonance vibration.
Anti-Gewalttrainings, Gewaltwissen und die institutionelle Erzeugung gewaltbefreiter Subjekte
(2023)
Dieser Beitrag fragt danach, wie Wissen über Gewalt in Anti-Gewalttrainings produziert, vermittelt und sozial wirkmächtig wird. Auf Basis des kommunikativen Konstruktivismus werden diese Kurse als gewaltbezogene Institutionen begriffen, in denen eine Wissensordnung der Gewalt stabilisiert wird. Sie sollen Abweichungen von institutionalisierten Wirklichkeitsvorstellungen in Bezug auf Gewalt entgegenwirken. Dabei lassen sie sich als Selbsttechniken begreifen, durch welche die Kursteilnehmer*innen eine spezifische Subjektposition einüben, nämlich die des gewaltbefreiten Subjekts. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird anschließend zwischen konditionalen und konzessiven Anti-Gewalttrainings unterschieden. Erstere wenden sich an Personen, die tatsächlich von der institutionalisierten Wirklichkeitsvorstellung abgewichen sind und somit gesellschaftlich als Gewalttäter*innen eingestuft werden, während Letztere auf eine Klientel zielen, die potenziell von den gängigen Normen abweichen könnte, obwohl noch keine Gewalt aufgetreten sein muss. Abschließend wird gezeigt, dass den Kursleiter*innen eine wichtige Rolle im Subjektivierungsprozess und der Wissenskommunikation über Gewalt zukommt. Neben Wissen über Gewalt werden durch sie auch Wertbindungen, Legitimationen und Weltbilder vermittelt.
When predicting sound pressure levels induced by structure-borne sound sources and describing the sound propagation path through the building structure as exactly as possible, it is necessary to characterize the vibration behavior of the structure-borne sound sources. In this investigation, the characterization of structure-borne sound sources was performed using the two-stage method (TSM) described in EN 15657. Four different structure-borne sound sources were characterized and subsequently installed in a lightweight test stand. The resulting sound pressure levels in an adjacent receiving room were measured. In the second step, sound pressure levels were predicted according to EN 12354-5 based on the parameters of the structure-borne sound sources. Subsequently, the predicted and the measured sound pressure levels were compared to obtain reliable statements on the achievable accuracy when using source quantities determined by TSM with this prediction method.
Identification of modal parameters of a space frame structure is a complex assignment due to a large number of degrees of freedom, close natural frequencies, and different vibrating mechanisms. Research has been carried out on the modal identification of rather simple truss structures. So far, less attention has been given to complex three-dimensional truss structures. This work develops a vibration-based methodology for determining modal information of three-dimensional space truss structures. The method uses a relatively complex space truss structure for its verification. Numerical modelling of the system gives modal information about the expected vibration behaviour. The identification process involves closely spaced modes that are characterised by local and global vibration mechanisms. To distinguish between local and global vibrations of the system, modal strain energies are used as an indicator. The experimental validation, which incorporated a modal analysis employing the stochastic subspace identification method, has confirmed that considering relatively high model orders is required to identify specific mode shapes. Especially in the case of the determination of local deformation modes of space truss members, higher model orders have to be taken into account than in the modal identification of most other types of structures.
In this paper we propose a novel and efficient rasterization-based approach for direct rendering of isosurfaces. Our method exploits the capabilities of task and mesh shader pipelines to identify subvolumes containing potentially visible isosurface geometry, and to efficiently extract primitives which are consumed on the fly by the rasterizer. As a result, our approach requires little preprocessing and negligible additional memory. Direct isosurface rasterization is competitive in terms of rendering performance when compared with ray-marching-based approaches, and significantly outperforms them for increasing resolution in most situations. Since our approach is entirely rasterization based, it affords straightforward integration into existing rendering pipelines, while allowing the use of modern graphics hardware features, such as multi-view stereo for efficient rendering of stereoscopic image pairs for geometry-bound applications. Direct isosurface rasterization is suitable for applications where isosurface geometry is highly variable, such as interactive analysis scenarios for static and dynamic data sets that require frequent isovalue adjustment.
Urban Heat Transition in Berlin: Corporate Strategies, Political Conflicts, and Just Solutions
(2023)
In the field of urban climate policy, heat production and demand are key sectors for achieving a sustainable city. Heat production has to shift from fossil to renewable energies, and the heat demand of most buildings has to be reduced significantly via building retrofits. However, analyses of heat transition still lack its contextualization within entangled urban politico-economic processes and materialities and require critical socio-theoretical examination. Asking about the embeddedness of heat transition within social relations and its implications for social justice issues, this article discusses the challenges and opportunities of heat transition, taking Berlin as an example. It uses an urban political ecology perspective to analyze the materialities of Berlin’s heating-housing nexus, its politico-economic context, implications for relations of inequality and power, and its contested strategies. The empirical analysis identifies major disputes about the future trajectory of heat production and about the distribution of retrofit costs. Using our conceptual approach, we discuss these empirical findings against the idea of a more just heat transition. For this purpose, we discuss three policy proposals regarding cost distribution, urban heat planning, and remunicipalization of heat utilities. We argue that this conceptual approach provides huge benefits for debates around heat transition and, more generally, energy justice and just transitions.
Beyond metropolitan areas, many peripheral regions and their cities in Europe have, in manifold ways, been significantly shaped by industrialisation. In the context of the relocation of industrial production to other countries over the last decades, the question has been raised as to the role this heritage can play in futural regional development as well as the potential local identification with this history. Hence, this article seeks to analyse the perception of the industrial heritage in the Vogtland region, located alongside the border of three German federal states and the Czech Republic. It inquires as to the perception of the industrial heritage by the local population and related potential future narrations. Based on spontaneous and explorative interviews with local people as an empirical base, a discrepancy between the perception of the tangible and intangible dimensions of the industrial heritage can be observed. On the one hand, the tangible heritage like older factories and production complexes are seen as a functional legacy and an “eyesore” narrative is attributed to them. On the other hand, people often reference the personal and familial connection to the industry and highlight its importance for the historical development and the wealth of the region. But these positive associations are mainly limited to the intangible dimension and are disconnected from the material artefacts of industrial production.
Patterns of Detachment: Spatial Transformations of the Phosphate Industry in el-Quseir, Egypt
(2023)
The establishment of phosphate mines and processing plants by Italian entrepreneurs in el-Quseir in 1912 revitalized a town that had faced a steady decline after the opening of the Suez Canal and re-linked it to the world economy. To this day, the now defunct industrial site occupies a large section of physical el-Quseir and plays a key role in its identity. In this article, we explore the impact of the company’s successive industrialization and deindustrialization based on archival research, interviews, and mapping. By tracing physical changes on-site and in the city of el-Quseir from the founding of its phosphate industry until today, as well as the historical and current interactions of citizens with the industrial facilities, we hope to better understand the “cluster value” of the industrial plant in quotidian life and the effect of the vacuum left behind after the termination of production. As machinery and buildings are slowly eroding in the absence of expressed interest by the former Italian and current Egyptian owners, we aim to discuss the relationship between the citizens and their el-Quseir phosphate plant as a crucial element of its heritage value at the local level.
Care of ageing adults has become a dominant field of application for assistive robot technologies, promising support for ageing adults residing in care homes and staff, in dealing with practical routine tasks and providing social and emotional relieve. A time consuming and human intensive necessity is the maintenance of high hygiene quality in care homes. Robotic vacuum cleaners have been proven effective for doing the job elsewhere, but—in the context of care homes—are counterproductive for residents’ well-being and do not get accepted. This is because people with dementia manifest their agency in more implicit and emotional ways, while making sense of the world around them. Starting from these premises, we explored how a zoomorphic designed vacuum cleaner could better accommodate the sensemaking of people with dementia. Our design reconceptualises robotic vacuum cleaners as a cat-like robot, referring to a playful behaviour and appearance to communicate a non-threatening and familiar role model. Data from an observational study shows that residents responded positively to our prototype, as most of them engaged playfully with it as if it was a pet or a cat-like toy, for example luring it with gestures. Some residents simply ignored the robot, indicating that it was not perceived as frightening or annoying. The level of activity influenced reactions; residents ignored our prototype if busy with other occupations, which proves that it did not cause significant disturbance. We further report results from focus group sessions with formal and informal caregivers who discussed a video prototype of our robot. Caregivers encouraged us to enhance the animal like characteristics (in behaviour and materiality) even further to result in richer interactions and provoke haptic pleasure but also pointed out that residents should not mistake the robot for a real cat.
The characteristic values of climatic actions in current structural design codes are based on a specified probability of exceedance during the design working life of a structure. These values are traditionally determined from the past observation data under a stationary climate assumption. However, this assumption becomes invalid in the context of climate change, where the frequency and intensity of climatic extremes varies with respect to time. This paper presents a methodology to calculate the non-stationary characteristic values using state of the art climate model projections. The non-stationary characteristic values are calculated in compliance with the requirements of structural design codes by forming quasi-stationary windows of the entire bias-corrected climate model data. Three approaches for the calculation of non-stationary characteristic values considering the design working life of a structure are compared and their consequences on exceedance probability are discussed.
Research into bio-based epoxy resins has intensified in recent decades. Here, it is of great importance to use raw materials whose use does not compete with food production. In addition, the performance of the newly developed materials should be comparable to that of conventional products. Possible starting materials are lignin degradation products, such as vanillin and syringaldehyde, for which new synthesis routes to the desired products must be found and their properties determined. In this article, the first synthesis of two amine hardeners, starting with vanillin and syringaldehyde, using the Smiles rearrangement reaction is reported. The amine hardeners were mixed with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, and the curing was compared to isophorone diamine, 4-4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone, and 4-Aminonbenzylamine by means of differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the two amines prepared are cold-curing. As TG-MS studies showed, the thermal stability of at least one of the polymers prepared with the potentially bio-based amines is comparable to that of the polymer prepared with isophorone diamine, and similar degradation products are formed during pyrolysis.
As an optimization that starts from a randomly selected structure generally does not guarantee reasonable optimality, the use of a systemic approach, named the ground structure, is widely accepted in steel-made truss and frame structural design. However, in the case of reinforced concrete (RC) structural optimization, because of the orthogonal orientation of structural members, randomly chosen or architect-sketched framing is used. Such a one-time fixed layout trend, in addition to its lack of a systemic approach, does not necessarily guarantee optimality. In this study, an approach for generating a candidate ground structure to be used for cost or weight minimization of 3D RC building structures with included slabs is developed. A multiobjective function at the floor optimization stage and a single objective function at the frame optimization stage are considered. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is employed for selecting the optimal ground structure. This method enables generating a simple, yet potential, real-world representation of topologically preoptimized ground structure while both structural and main architectural requirements are considered. This is supported by a case study for different floor domain sizes.