Universitätsbibliothek
Weimar Open Access

Traditionally, buildings in the Inner Himalayan valleys of Bhutan were constructed from rammed earth in the western regions and quarry stone in the central and eastern regions. Whilst basic architectural design elements have been retained, the construction methods have however changed over recent decades alongside expectations for indoor thermal comfort. Nevertheless, despite the need for space heating, thermal building performance remains largely unknown. Furthermore, no dedicated climate data is available for building performance assessments. This paper establishes such climatological information for the capital Thimphu and presents an investigation of building physics properties of traditional and contemporary building types. In a one month field study 10 buildings were surveyed, looking at building air tightness, indoor climate, wall U-values and water absorption of typical wall construction materials. The findings highlight comparably high wall U-values of 1.0 to 1.5 W/m²K for both current and historic constructions. Furthermore, air tightness tests show that, due to poorly sealed joints between construction elements, windows and doors, many buildings have high infiltration rates, reaching up to 5 air changes per hour. However, the results also indicate an indoor climate moderating effect of more traditional earth construction techniques. Based on these survey findings basic improvements are being suggested.

Zur Erstellung von dekorativen Plastiken sollten Mörtel entwickelt werden, die eine hohe Biegezugfestigkeit aufweisen und eine breite Palette von Konsistenzen für verschiedene Anwendungsarten, wie Gießen, Spachteln oder Stampfen abdecken. Als Basis für die Rezepturen wurde ein niedrigviskoses Epoxidharzsystem gewählt, dessen Aminhärter einen Wasseranteil von 44 % beinhaltet. Dies ermöglichte es, durch Wasserzugabe verschiedene Viskositäten einzustellen. Um dieses Wasser in massiveren Bauteilen zu binden, wurde neben Sand auch Zement als Füllstoff eingesetzt. Die erstellten Rezepturen zeigten nach 56 Tagen hohe Druckfestigkeiten von über 50 N/mm². Mit zunehmendem Epoxidharzgehalt ergaben sich zwar steigende Biegezugfestigkeiten, jedoch unter Laborlagerung auch größere Längenänderungen. Diese konnten durch den Einsatz eines PCE-Fließmittels, PVA-Kurzfasern und einer optimierten Sieblinie verringert werden. Das Fließmittel verlängerte die Erhärtungszeiten jedoch auf bis zu 1,5 Tage. Zur Ermittlung der Dauerhaftigkeit des Materials wurde es für drei Wochen Temperaturen von -20 bis +60 °C, einer künstlichen Sonnenbestrahlung sowie künstlicher Beregnung ausgesetzt. Im Vergleich zur Laborlagerung ergab sich bei steigendem Epoxidharzanteil ein geringerer Schwund, während die Biegezugfestigkeit der Probeköper nur geringfügig abnahm. Rasterelektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zeigten, dass auch bei geringeren Epoxidharzzusätzen Störungen der Zementhydratation auftraten. Weiterhin zeigen sich bei geringen Epoxidharzzusätzen in der Matrix kugelförmige Einschlüsse, die von dispergierten Epoxidharzpartikeln stammen.

Sichtbeton ist aufgrund seiner Vielfältigkeit in der Formgebung eines der am meisten verbreiteten Gestaltungsmittel der modernen Architektur und optimal für neue Bauweisen sowie steigende Anforderungen an das Erscheinungsbild öffentlicher Bauwerke geeignet. Die Herstellung qualitativ hochwertiger Sichtbetonoberflächen hängt im hohen Maße von den Wechselwirkungen zwischen Beton und Trennmittel, zwischen Trennmittel und Schalmaterial, sowie von der Applikationsart und -menge des Trennmittels ab. In Laborversuchen wurden diese Einflüsse auf die Sichtbetonoberflächen eines polymermodifizierten selbstverdichtenden Betons (PSCC) im Vergleich zu einem herkömmlichen selbstverdichtenden Beton (SCC) untersucht. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeiten wurde eine Methode zur Beurteilung der Sichtbetonqualität entwickelt, mit welcher Ausschlusskriterien, wie maximale Porosität und Gleichmäßigkeit, objektiv und automatisiert bestimmt werden können. Veränderungen dieser Werte durch Witterungseinflüsse ließen zudem erste Rückschlüsse auf die Dauerhaftigkeit der Sichtbetonoberflächen zu.

The amount of adsorbed styrene acrylate copolymer (SA) particles on cementitious surfaces at the early stage of hydration was quantitatively determined using three different methodological approaches: the depletion method, the visible spectrophotometry (VIS) and the thermo-gravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (TG–MS). Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each method, including the respectively required sample preparation, the results for four polymer-modified cement pastes, varying in polymer content and cement fineness, were evaluated. To some extent, significant discrepancies in the adsorption degrees were observed. There is a tendency that significantly lower amounts of adsorbed polymers were identified using TG-MS compared to values determined with the depletion method. Spectrophotometrically generated values were ​​lying in between these extremes. This tendency was found for three of the four cement pastes examined and is originated in sample preparation and methodical limitations. The main influencing factor is the falsification of the polymer concentration in the liquid phase during centrifugation. Interactions in the interface between sediment and supernatant are the cause. The newly developed method, using TG–MS for the quantification of SA particles, proved to be suitable for dealing with these revealed issues. Here, instead of the fluid phase, the sediment is examined with regard to the polymer content, on which the influence of centrifugation is considerably lower.

This article is focused on the research and development of new cellulose ether derivatives as innovative superplasticizers for mortar systems. Several synthetic strategies have been pursued to obtain new compounds to study their properties on cementitious systems as new bio-based additives. The new water-soluble admixtures were synthesized using a complex carboxymethylcellulose-based backbone that was first hydrolyzed and then sulfo-ethylated in the presence of sodium vinyl sulphonate. Starting with a complex biopolymer that is widely known as a thickening agent was very challenging. Only by varying the hydrolysis times and temperatures of the reactions was achieved the aimed goal. The obtained derivatives showed different molecular weight (Mw) and anionic charges on their backbones. An improvement in shear stress and dynamic viscosity values of CEM II 42.5R cement was observed with the samples obtained with a longer time of higher temperature hydrolysis and sulfo-ethylation. Investigations into the chemical nature of the pore solution, calorimetric studies and adsorption experiments clearly showed the ability of carboxymethyl cellulose superplasticizer (CMC SP) to interact with cement grains and influence hydration processes within a 48-h time window, causing a delay in hydration reactions in the samples. The fluidity of the cementitious matrices was ascertained through slump test and preliminary studies of mechanical and flexural strength of the hardened mortar formulated with the new ecological additives yielded values in terms of mechanical properties. Finally, the computed tomography (CT) images completed the investigation of the pore network structure of hardened specimens, highlighting their promising structure porosity.

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.