Universitätsbibliothek
Weimar Open Access

One of the main criteria determining the thermal comfort of occupants is the air temperature. To monitor this parameter, a thermostat is traditionally mounted in the indoor environment for instance in office rooms in the workplaces, or directly on the radiator or in another location in a room. One of the drawbacks of this conventional method is the measurement at a certain location instead of the temperature distribution in the entire room including the occupant zone. As a result, the climatic conditions measured at the thermostat point may differ from those at the user's location. This not only negatively impacts the thermal comfort assessment but also leads to a waste of energy due to unnecessary heating and cooling. Moreover, for measuring the distribution of the air temperature under laboratory conditions, multiple thermal sensors should be installed in the area under investigation. This requires high effort in both installation and expense. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional sensors, Acoustic travel-time TOMography (ATOM) offers an alternative based on measuring the transmission sound velocity signals. The basis of the ATOM technique is the first-order dependency of the sound velocity on the medium's temperature. The average sound velocity, along the propagation paths, can be determined by travel-times estimation of a defined acoustic signal between transducers. After the travel-times collection, the room is divided into several volumetric grid cells, i.e. voxels, whose sizes are defined depending on the dimension of the room and the number of sound paths. Accordingly, the spatial air temperature in each voxel can be determined using a suitable tomographic algorithm. Recent studies indicate that despite the great potential of this technique to detect room climate, few experiments have been conducted. This thesis aims to develop the ATOM technique for indoor climatic applications while coupling the analysis methods of tomography and room acoustics. The method developed in this thesis uses high-energy early reflections in addition to the direct paths between transducers for travel time estimation. In this way, reflections can provide multiple sound paths that allow the room coverage to be maintained even when a few or even only one transmitter and receiver are used. In the development of the ATOM measurement system, several approaches have been employed, including the development of numerical methods and simulations and conducting experimental measurements, each of which has contributed to the improvement of the system's accuracy. In order to effectively separate the early reflections and ensure adequate coverage of the room with sound paths, a numerical method was developed based on the optimization of the coordinates of the sound transducers in the test room. The validation of the optimal positioning method shows that the reconstructed temperatures were significantly improved by placing the transducers at the optimal coordinates derived from the developed numerical method. The other numerical method developed is related to the selection of the travel times of the early reflections. Accordingly, the detection of the travel times has been improved by adjusting the lengths of the multiple analysis time-windows according to the individual travel times in the reflectogram of the room impulse response. This can reduce the probability of trapping faulty travel times in the analysis time-windows. The simulation model used in this thesis is based on the image source model (ISM) method for simulating the theoretical travel times of early reflection sound paths. The simulation model was developed to simulate the theoretical travel times up to third-order reflections. The empirical measurements were carried out in the climate lab of the Chair of Building Physics under different boundary conditions, i.e., combinations of different room air temperatures under both steady-state and transient conditions, and different measurement setups. With the measurements under controllable conditions in the climate lab, the validity of the developed numerical methods was confirmed. In this thesis, the performance of the ATOM measurement system was evaluated using two measurement setups. The setup for the initial investigations consists of an omnidirectional receiver and a near omnidirectional sound source, keeping the number of transducers as few as possible. This has led to accurately identify the sources of error that could occur in each part of the measuring system. The second measurement setup consists of two directional sound sources and one omnidirectional receiver. This arrangement of transducers allowed a higher number of well-detected travel times for tomography reconstruction, a better travel time estimation due to the directivity of the sound source, and better space utilization. Furthermore, this new measurement setup was tested to determine an optimal selection of the excitation signal. The results showed that for the utilized setup, a linear chirp signal with a frequency range of 200 - 4000 Hz and a signal duration of t = 1 s represents an optimal selection with respect to the reliability of the measured travel times and higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To evaluate the performance of the measuring setups, the ATOM temperatures were always compared with the temperatures of high-resolution NTC thermistors with an accuracy of ±0.2 K. The entire measurement program, including acoustic measurements, simulation, signal processing, and visualization of measurement results are performed in MATLAB software. In addition, to reduce the uncertainty of the positioning of the transducers, the acoustic centre of the loudspeaker was determined experimentally for three types of excitation signals, namely MLS (maximum length sequence) signals with different lengths and duration, linear and logarithmic chirp signals with different defined frequency ranges. For this purpose, the climate lab was converted into a fully anechoic chamber by attaching absorption panels to the entire surfaces of the room. The measurement results indicated that the measurement of the acoustic centre of the sound source significantly reduces the displacement error of the transducer position. Moreover, to measure the air temperature in an occupied room, an algorithm was developed that can convert distorted signals into pure reference signals using an adaptive filter. The measurement results confirm the validity of the approach for a temperature interval of 4 K inside the climate lab. Accordingly, the accuracy of the reconstructed temperatures indicated that ATOM is very suitable for measuring the air temperature distribution in rooms.

In this work, practice-based research is conducted to rethink the understanding of aesthetics, especially in relation to current media art. Granted, we live in times when technologies merge with living organisms, but we also live in times that provide unlimited resources of knowledge and maker tools. I raise the question: In what way does the hybridization of living organisms and non-living technologies affect art audiences in the culture that may be defined as Maker culture? My hypothesis is that active participation of an audience in an artwork is inevitable for experiencing the artwork itself, while also suggesting that the impact of the umwelt changes the perception of an artwork. I emphasize artistic projects that unfold through mutual interaction among diverse peers, including humans, non-human organisms, and machines. In my thesis, I pursue collaborative scenarios that lead to the realization of artistic ideas: (1) the development of ideas by others influenced by me and (2) the materialization of my own ideas influenced by others. By developing the scenarios of collaborative work as an artistic experience, I conclude that the role of an artist in Maker culture is to mediate different types of knowledge and different positions, whereas the role of the audience is to actively engage in the artwork itself. At the same time, aesthetics as experience is triggered by the other, including living and non-living actors. It is intended that the developed methodologies could be further adapted in artistic practices, philosophy, anthropology, and environmental studies.

Due to the development of new technologies and materials, optimized bridge design has recently gained more attention. The aim is to reduce the bridge components materials and the CO2 emission from the cement manufacturing process. Thus, most long-span bridges are designed to be with high flexibility, low structural damping, and longer and slender spans. Such designs lead, however, to aeroelastic challenges. Moreover, the consideration of both the structural and aeroelastic behavior in bridges leads to contradictory solutions as the structural constraints lead to deck prototypes with high depth which provide high inertia to material volume ratios. On the other hand, considering solely the aerodynamic requirements, slender airfoil-shaped bridge box girders are recommended since they prevent vortex shedding and exhibit minimum drag. Within this framework comes this study which provides approaches to find optimal bridge deck cross-sections while considering the aerodynamic effects. Shape optimization of deck cross-section is usually formulated to minimize the amount of material by finding adequate parameters such as the depth, the height, and the thickness and while ensuring the overall stability of the structure by the application of some constraints. Codes and studies have been implemented to analyze the wind phenomena and the structural responses towards bridge deck cross-sections where simplifications have been adopted due to the complexity and the uniqueness of such components besides the difficulty of obtaining a final model of the aerodynamic behavior. In this thesis, two main perspectives have been studied; the first is fully deterministic and presents a novel framework on generating optimal aerodynamic shapes for streamlined and trapezoidal cross-sections based on the meta-modeling approach. Single and multi-objective optimizations were both carried out and a Pareto Front is generated. The performance of the optimal designs is checked afterwards. In the second part, a new strategy based on Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) to mitigate the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) on the Trans-Tokyo Bay bridge is proposed. Small changes in the leading and trailing edges are presented and uncertainties are considered in the structural system. Probabilistic constraints based on polynomial regression are evaluated and the problem is solved while applying the Reliability Index Approach (RIA) and the Performance Measure Approach (PMA). The results obtained in the first part showed that the aspect ratio has a significant effect on the aerodynamic behavior where deeper cross-sections have lower resistance against flutter and should be avoided. In the second part, the adopted RBDO approach succeeded to mitigate the VIV, and it is proven that designs with narrow or prolonged bottom-base length and featuring an abrupt surface change in the leading and trailing edges can lead to high vertical vibration amplitude. It is expected that this research will help engineers with the selections of the adequate deck cross-section layout, and encourage researchers to apply concepts of optimization regarding this field and develop the presented approaches for further studies.

The most fundamental understating of hybridization methodology takes the form of stable but dynamic notions, accumulated over time in the memory of individuals. Schematized and abstracted, the hybrids representation needs to be reproduced and reused in order to reconstruct and bring back other memories. Reinvented, or reused hybrids can support getting access to social, traditional, religious understanding of nations. In this manner, they take the form of the messenger / the mediator an innate, equivalent to the use of mental places in the art of memory. We remember mythology in order to remember other things. From individual memory perspective, or group collective memory, the act of recollection is assumed to be an individual act, biologically based in the brain, but by definition conditioned by social collectives. Following Halbwachs, this thesis does not recognize a dichotomy between individual and collective memory as two different types of remembering. Conversely, the collective is thought of as inherent to individual thought, questioning perspectives that regard individual recollection as isolated from social settings. The individual places himself in relation to the group and makes use of the collective frameworks of thought when he localizes and reconstructs the past, whether in private or in social settings. The frameworks of social relations, of time, and of space are constructs originating in social interaction and distributed in the memory of the group members. The individual has his own perspective on the collective frameworks of the group, and the group’s collective frameworks can be regarded as a common denominator of the individual outlooks on the framework. In acts of remembering, the individual may actualize the depicted symbols in memory, but he could also employ precepts from the environment. The latter have been referred to as material or external frameworks of memory, suggesting their similar role as catalysts for processes of remembrance such as that of the hybrids in my paintings. It is only with reference to the hybrids, who work as messengers / mediators with a dual nature, that communicate between the past and the present, the internal and external space, that individual memory and group memory is in focus. The exhibition at the Egyptian museum in Leipzig is my practical method to create a communicative memory, using hybrids as mediators in cultural transimission, as when the act refers to informal and everyday situations in which group members informally search for the past, it takes place in the communicative 162 memory. As explained in chapter one, the exhibition at the Egyptian museum in Leipzig is an act of remembering in search for the past with support of my paintings, which then can considered as part of the cultural memory. In addition to the theoretical framework summarized above, I have applied my hypothesis practically in the form of the public exhibition, and shared the methodology with public audience from Cairo / Egypt and Leipzig / German in the form of visual art workshops and open discussions. I have also suggested an analyzed description of the meaning of hybrids in my artwork as mediators and messengers for the purpose of cultural transmission, as well as in relation to other artists’ work and use of a similar concept. By using my hybrid creatures in my visual artwork, I am creating a bridge, mediators to represent both the past and the present, what we remember of the past, and how we understand the past. It is as explained in chapter two; that the hybridization methodology in terms of double membership represented in different cultures –Cairo / Egypt and Leipzig / Germany- can provide a framework which allows artistic discussions and could be individually interpreted, so individual cultures / individual memory can become transparent without losing their identities and turn into communicative memory. This transmission through the hybridization theoretical approech was explicitly clarified with the support of Krämer’s hypothesis. The practical attempt was examined by creating a relationship between the witness –me as an artist– and the audience –the exhibition visitors–, to cross space and time, not to bridge differences, rather to represent the contrasts transparently. The Kin-making proposition is adopted by many academics and scholars in modern society and theoretical research; the topic was represented in the roots of the ancient Egyptian mindset and supported theoretically by similar understandings such as Haraway’s definition of kin-making. The practical implementation of kin- making can be observed in many of my artwork and was analyzed visually and artistically in chapter three. My practical project outcome tested success by using hybrids in my paintings as mediators, it opened a communicative artistic discussion. This methodology gave a possible path of communication through paintings / visual analyses, and offered relativity through image self-interpretation.

Das Wissen um den realen Zustand eines Bauprojektes stellt eine entscheidende Kernkompetenz eines steuernden bauausführenden Unternehmens dar. Der bewusste Umgang mit Informationen und deren effiziente Nutzung sind entscheidende Erfolgsfaktoren für die zeit-, kosten- und qualitätsgerechte Realisierung von Bauprojekten. Obwohl die erforderlichen Erfolgsfaktoren bekannt sind, sind Kosten- und Terminüberschreitungen von Bauprojekten keine Seltenheit – eher das Gegenteil ist der Fall. Zukunftsweisende Digitalisierungsprojekte aber geben Anlass zu Hoffnung. Ein Beispiel ist der bereits im Dezember 2015 vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur ins Leben gerufene Stufenplan Digitales Planen und Bauen. Dieser hat die Aufgabe flächendeckend die Methodik des Building Information Modeling (BIM) im Infrastrukturbereich einzuführen und somit die Digitalisierung in Deutschland zukunftsweisend voranzutreiben, indem erfolgreiche Bauprojekte mit durchgängigen Informationsflüssen arbeiten. Seither existiert eine Vielzahl an Digitalisierungsprojekten, alle mit gleichen Zielen. Nachweislich lassen sich hinsichtlich dessen allerdings auch vermehrt Defizite aufzeigen. So ist der Fortschritt sehr heterogen verteilt und lässt sich für die Branche nicht allgemeingültig festlegen. Mit einer internationalen Literaturrecherche sowie einer empirischen Studie als Untersuchungsmethode wurde in Form von Interviews mit Fachkundigen der tatsächliche Zustand der Digitalisierungs- und der BIM-Anwendungen im Straßenbau für den Controllingprozess der Bauleistungsfeststellung untersucht. Die erhobenen Daten wurden aufbereitet und anschließend softwaregestützt einer inhaltlichen Analyse unterzogen. In Kombination mit den Ergebnissen der Literaturrecherche wurden notwendige Anforderungen für den Controllingprozess der Bauleistungsfeststellung erhoben. Auf dieser Grundlage wurde ein Modell im Sinne der Systemtheorie zur Optimierung der Bauleistungsfeststellung entwickelt. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Integration der modellbasierten Arbeitsweise in die Prozesse der Bauleistungsfeststellung eines Bauunternehmens. Grundlage ist die objektive Auswertung des Fertigstellungsgrades (Baufortschrittes) mittels Luftbildaufnahmen. Deren Auswertung auf Basis eines Algorithmus und die systematische Identifikation des Baufortschrittes integriert in den Prozess der Bauleistungsfeststellung werden zu einem neu entwickelten Gesamtsystem mit dem Ergebnis eines optimierten Modells. Das entwickelte Modell wurde hinsichtlich Anwendbarkeit und praktischer Relevanz an ausgewählten Beispielszenarien untersucht und nachgewiesen.