Refine
Year of publication
- 2022 (145) (remove)
Institute
- Fachbereich Medizintechnik und Technomathematik (45)
- Fachbereich Energietechnik (32)
- IfB - Institut für Bioengineering (27)
- Fachbereich Chemie und Biotechnologie (18)
- ECSM European Center for Sustainable Mobility (17)
- INB - Institut für Nano- und Biotechnologien (14)
- Solar-Institut Jülich (14)
- Fachbereich Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik (12)
- Fachbereich Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik (12)
- Fachbereich Maschinenbau und Mechatronik (10)
Language
- English (145) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (78)
- Conference Proceeding (47)
- Part of a Book (10)
- Conference: Meeting Abstract (5)
- Conference Poster (2)
- Other (2)
- Book (1)
Keywords
- Concentrated solar power (3)
- Energy storage (3)
- Hybrid energy system (3)
- Biocomposites (2)
- Chemometrics (2)
- Digital Twin (2)
- Earthquake (2)
- Electricity generation (2)
- Gamification (2)
- Heparin (2)
- IO-Link (2)
- NMR spectroscopy (2)
- Natural fibres (2)
- Polymer-matrix composites (2)
- Power plants (2)
- Seismic design (2)
- Seismic loading (2)
- Solar thermal technologies (2)
- Stress concentrations (2)
- biosensors (2)
- damage (2)
- seismic design (2)
- 10BASE-T1L (1)
- Actuator disk modelling (1)
- Additive Manufacturing (1)
- Additive manufacturing (1)
- Algal Turf Scrubber (1)
- Algal–bacterial bioflm (1)
- Alkalihalobacillus okhensis (1)
- Alzheimer's disease (1)
- Analogue Environments (1)
- Angle Sensor (1)
- Arduino (1)
- Artificial Intelligence (1)
- Artificial intelligence (1)
- Assembly (1)
- Asset Administration Shell (1)
- Associated liquids (1)
- Automated driving (1)
- Automotive application (1)
- BET (1)
- Behaviour factor q (1)
- Benchmark (1)
- Binder Jetting (1)
- Biogas (1)
- Biomass (1)
- Biomechanical simulation (1)
- Bootstrapping (1)
- Boundary integral equations (1)
- Brake set-up (1)
- Brake test (1)
- CAV (1)
- CFD propeller simulation (1)
- Camera system (1)
- Case Study (1)
- Categorial variable (1)
- Cementoblast (1)
- Central receiver power plant (1)
- Central receiver system (1)
- Ceramics (1)
- Challenges (1)
- Chance constrained programming (1)
- Change management (1)
- Circular bioeconomy (1)
- Civil engineering (1)
- Clinical decision support systems (1)
- Cloud passages (1)
- Clustering (1)
- Collective risk model (1)
- Compression (1)
- Concentrated solar collector (1)
- Concentrated systems (1)
- Concomitant (1)
- Conductive boundary condition (1)
- Conpot (1)
- Control optimization (1)
- Crude heparin (1)
- Cryobot (1)
- DNI forecast (1)
- DNI forecasting (1)
- Decoupling (1)
- Digital Twin Evolution (1)
- Digital Twins (1)
- Direct normal irradiance forecast (1)
- Directed Energy Deposition (1)
- Diversity management (1)
- Drinfeld modules (1)
- Dynamic simulation (1)
- EN 1998-4 (1)
- ES-FEM (1)
- ESHM20, industrial facilities (1)
- Electrical Flight (1)
- Empirical process (1)
- Energy system (1)
- Erasmus+ United (1)
- Ethernet (1)
- Evolution of damage (1)
- Explainability (1)
- Extension fracture (1)
- Extension strain criterion (1)
- FGF23 (1)
- FPGA (1)
- FS-FEM (1)
- Feature selection (1)
- Field device (1)
- Finite element analysis (1)
- Finite element analysis (FEA) (1)
- Flight Mechanics (1)
- Flight Tests (1)
- Forces (1)
- Fracture classification (1)
- Fracture configuration (1)
- Fracture simulation (1)
- Freight rail (1)
- Gas turbine (1)
- Genetic algorithm (1)
- Global change (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Haemodialysis (1)
- Handbike (1)
- Hazard assessment (1)
- Heliostat Field Calibration (1)
- Heliostats (1)
- Heterostructure (1)
- Higher derivations (1)
- Humidity (1)
- Hybridization (1)
- ICS (1)
- INSYSME (1)
- IR spectroscopy (1)
- Ice Melting (1)
- Icy Moons (1)
- Image Reconstruction (1)
- Imaging (1)
- In-plane load (1)
- In-plane performance, isolation (1)
- Incident analysis (1)
- Inclusive work climate (1)
- Incremental Encoder (1)
- Independence test (1)
- Industrial Communication (1)
- Industrial facilities (1)
- Industry 4.0 (1)
- Infill wall design (1)
- Inflight Regeneration, Recuperation (1)
- Information Extraction (1)
- Inorganic ions (1)
- Instructional design (1)
- Interaction (1)
- Interstellar objects (1)
- Inverse spectral problem (1)
- Ions (1)
- Justice (1)
- Kalman filter (1)
- Klotho (1)
- Knowledge Transfer (1)
- L-PBF (1)
- LPBF (1)
- Landslide tsunamis (1)
- Large scale tests (1)
- Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (1)
- Level system (1)
- Lidar (1)
- Limit analysis (1)
- Linear elastic analysis (1)
- Machine Learning (1)
- Machine learning (1)
- Malaysian automotive industry (1)
- Masonry infill (1)
- Measurement models (1)
- Measurement uncertainty (1)
- Measuring instruments (1)
- Mechanotransduction (1)
- Medical AI (1)
- Melting Efficiency (1)
- Melting Performance (1)
- Melting Probe (1)
- Metascintillator (1)
- Methane (1)
- Microcirculation (1)
- Mild cognitive impairment (1)
- Missions (1)
- Mixed integer linear programming (MILP) (1)
- Modelling (1)
- Modern constructions (1)
- Mohr–Coulomb criterion (1)
- Molecular modelling (1)
- Molecular weight determination (1)
- Molten salt receiver (1)
- Molten salt receiver system (1)
- Molten salt receiver system, (1)
- Molten salt solar tower (1)
- Monte Carlo Tree Search (1)
- Morphing (1)
- Multi-agent Systems (1)
- Multiple TOF kernels (1)
- Myocardial infarction and cardiac death (1)
- NMR (1)
- Natural Language Processing (1)
- Niacin (1)
- Normative standards (1)
- Nowcasting (1)
- Numerical modelling (1)
- Ocean Worlds (1)
- Organizational culture (1)
- Out-of-plane load (1)
- Overland flow (1)
- PEM fuel cells (1)
- PLS-regression (1)
- PTC (1)
- PTH (1)
- Parabolic trough collector (1)
- Paralympic sport (1)
- Perception (1)
- Periods (1)
- Phosphate (1)
- Photovoltaics (1)
- Position Encoder (1)
- Powder Material (1)
- Power conversion systems (1)
- Probability distribution mapping (1)
- Process mining (1)
- Process prediction (1)
- Profile Extraction (1)
- Propeller Aerodynamics (1)
- Propeller aerodynamics (1)
- Propeller performance (1)
- Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (1)
- Proximal humerus fracture (1)
- Psychological concepts (1)
- Pulsations (1)
- Q-criterion (1)
- Quadrocopter (1)
- Quality control (1)
- Quantum Computing (1)
- Quantum Machine Learning (1)
- Quantum chemistry (1)
- RWTH Aachen University (1)
- Rapid-prototyping (1)
- Reinforced concrete frame (1)
- Reliability of structures (1)
- Renewable energy (1)
- Retinal vessel analysis (1)
- Retinal vessels (1)
- Riboflavin (1)
- Rotational Encoder (1)
- Rotator cuff (1)
- S-FEM (1)
- SME (1)
- Self-driving (1)
- Sensors (1)
- Shakedown analysis (1)
- Shoulder (1)
- Solar concentration (1)
- Solar dish (1)
- Solar irradiance (1)
- Solitary waves (1)
- Standardization (1)
- Star design (1)
- Stochastic programming (1)
- Structural design (1)
- Structural health monitoring (1)
- Support System (1)
- TOF PET (1)
- Tanks (1)
- Tension (1)
- Text Mining (1)
- Thermal Energy Storage (1)
- Thiamine (1)
- Time-series aggregation (1)
- Tobacco mosaic virus (1)
- Train composition (1)
- Training (1)
- Trajectories (1)
- Transcendence (1)
- Transient flux distribution (1)
- Transmission eigenvalues (1)
- Two-phase modelling (1)
- Typical periods (1)
- UAV (1)
- USP (1)
- UTeM Engineering Knowledge Transfer Unit (1)
- Uncertainty analysis (1)
- Unmanned aerial vehicle (1)
- Unreinforced masonry buildings (1)
- User study (1)
- Vasomotions (1)
- Virtual reality (1)
- Vitamin A (1)
- Vitamin B (1)
- Vitamin D (1)
- Wiegand Effect (1)
- Window opening (1)
- acetoin (1)
- additive manufacturing (1)
- adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) (1)
- aminooctanethiol (1)
- anaesthetic complications (1)
- anisotropy (1)
- aortic perfusion (1)
- architectural education (1)
- aseptic parameters (1)
- atomic layer deposition (1)
- automated vehicles (1)
- aviation application (1)
- bacterial cellulose (1)
- batteries and fuel cells (1)
- behaviour factor q (1)
- bi-enzyme biosensor (1)
- biaxial tensile experiment (1)
- biocompatible materials (1)
- biodegradable electronic devices (1)
- biopotential electrodes (1)
- body imaging at 7 T MRI (1)
- bootstrap (1)
- borefields (1)
- borehole disposal (1)
- bullying (1)
- capacitive field-effect biosensor (1)
- capacitive field-effect sensor (1)
- capacitive field-effect sensors (1)
- capacitive model (1)
- carbon electrodes (1)
- cell aerosolization (1)
- cell atomization (1)
- cerebral small vessel disease (1)
- chance constrained programming (1)
- coculture (1)
- cognitive impairment (1)
- coherent structures (1)
- combustor development (1)
- competence developing games (1)
- computational fluid dynamics analysis (1)
- connected automated vehicles (1)
- constitutive modeling (1)
- control system (1)
- correlation (1)
- crystallization (1)
- currriculum (1)
- cyber physical production system (1)
- cyber-physical production system (1)
- cybersecurity (1)
- dental trauma (1)
- design research (1)
- detergent protease (1)
- dialysis (1)
- difficult airway (1)
- digital shadow (1)
- digital twin (1)
- disposal facility (1)
- distorted element (1)
- double-lumen tube intubation (1)
- dscipline (1)
- electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (1)
- electrospinning (1)
- emission (1)
- endoluminal (1)
- energy (1)
- enzyme immobilization (1)
- enzyme-logic gate (1)
- exopolysaccharides (1)
- experimental evaluation (1)
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1)
- eye movement modelling examples (1)
- fibers (1)
- field-effect sensor (1)
- force generation (1)
- forehead EEG (1)
- frequency mixing magnetic detection (1)
- fuel cell systems (1)
- fuels (1)
- fused filament fabrication (1)
- gaseous hydrogen peroxide (1)
- geological disposal (1)
- geothermal (1)
- glucose (1)
- gold nanoparticles (1)
- halotolerant protease (1)
- health management systems (1)
- high-alkaline subtilisin (1)
- high-intensity exercise (1)
- honeynet (1)
- honeypot (1)
- human digital shadow (1)
- human factors (1)
- human-machine interface (1)
- hybridity (1)
- hydraulic modelling (1)
- hydrogen (1)
- hyperelastic (1)
- ignition (1)
- impedance spectroscopy (1)
- in-ear EEG (1)
- industrial gas turbine (1)
- irradiation (1)
- lessons learned (1)
- limit analysis (1)
- linear elastic analysis; (1)
- magnetic nanoparticles (1)
- magnetic sensors (1)
- metrological characterization (1)
- microplasma (1)
- microwave (MW) plasma (1)
- model performance (1)
- modern constructions (1)
- multi-sensing platform (1)
- muscle fascicle behavior (1)
- nanoparticle coverage (1)
- non-simplex S-FEM elements (1)
- nuclear waste (1)
- oxidative stable protease (1)
- pH sensors (1)
- passive inter-modulation (1)
- penicillinase (1)
- performance testing (1)
- plasma jet (1)
- policy recommendations (1)
- polyetheretherketone (1)
- porous materials (1)
- power integrity (1)
- prebiotic (1)
- profession (1)
- pullulan (1)
- rapid tooling (1)
- recommendations for actions (1)
- reliability of structures (1)
- requirements (1)
- research by design (1)
- research in architecture (1)
- retention time (1)
- retinal vessels (1)
- sEMG (1)
- safety control (1)
- seismic hazard (1)
- shakedown analysis (1)
- signal integrity (1)
- simulation (1)
- sizing (1)
- smooth muscle contraction (1)
- software engineering (1)
- spore kill rate (1)
- sterility (1)
- stochastic programming (1)
- strain energy function (1)
- survival (1)
- systematic literature review (1)
- t-modules (1)
- technology transfer (1)
- tendon rupture (1)
- the University of Sheffield (1)
- thermal dose (1)
- tissue temperature (1)
- tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (1)
- transmit antenna arrays (1)
- tri-lineage differentiation (1)
- twin-fluid atomizer (1)
- ultrasound imaging (1)
- ultrathin gate insulators (1)
- unreinforced masonry buildings (1)
- urease (1)
- video learning (1)
- videolaryngoscopy (1)
- virgin passive (1)
- viscoelasticity (1)
- walking gait (1)
Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a search technique that in the last decade emerged as a major breakthrough for Artificial Intelligence applications regarding board- and video-games. In 2016, AlphaGo, an MCTS-based software agent, outperformed the human world champion of the board game Go. This game was for long considered almost infeasible for machines, due to its immense search space and the need for a long-term strategy. Since this historical success, MCTS is considered as an effective new approach for many other scientific and technical problems. Interestingly, civil structural engineering, as a discipline, offers many tasks whose solution may benefit from intelligent search and in particular from adopting MCTS as a search tool. In this work, we show how MCTS can be adapted to search for suitable solutions of a structural engineering design problem. The problem consists of choosing the load-bearing elements in a reference reinforced concrete structure, so to achieve a set of specific dynamic characteristics. In the paper, we report the results obtained by applying both a plain and a hybrid version of single-agent MCTS. The hybrid approach consists of an integration of both MCTS and classic Genetic Algorithm (GA), the latter also serving as a term of comparison for the results. The study’s outcomes may open new perspectives for the adoption of MCTS as a design tool for civil engineers.
Masonry infill walls are the most traditional enclosure system that is still widely used in RC frame buildings all over the world, particularly in seismic active regions. Although infill walls are usually neglected in seismic design, during an earthquake event they are subjected to in-plane and out-of-plane forces that can act separately or simultaneously. Since observations of damage to buildings after recent earthquakes showed detrimental effects of in-plane and out-of-plane load interaction on infill walls, the number of studies that focus on influence of in-plane damage on out-of-plane response has significantly increased. However, most of the xperimental campaigns have considered only solid infills and there is a lack of combined in-plane and out-of-plane experimental tests on masonry infills with openings, although windows and doors strongly affect seismic performance. In this paper, two types of experimental tests on infills with window openings are presented. The first is a pure out-of-plane test and the second one is a sequential in-plane and out-of-plane test aimed at investigating the effects of existing in-plane damage on outof-plane response. Additionally, findings from two tests with similar load procedure that were carried out on fully infilled RC frames in the scope of the same project are used for comparison. Test results clearly show that window opening increased vulnerability of infills to combined seismic actions and that prevention of damage in infills with openings is of the utmost importance for seismic safety.
In the past, CSP and PV have been seen as competing technologies. Despite massive reductions in the electricity generation costs of CSP plants, PV power generation is - at least during sunshine hours - significantly cheaper. If electricity is required not only during the daytime, but around the clock, CSP with its inherent thermal energy storage gets an advantage in terms of LEC. There are a few examples of projects in which CSP plants and PV plants have been co-located, meaning that they feed into the same grid connection point and ideally optimize their operation strategy to yield an overall benefit. In the past eight years, TSK Flagsol has developed a plant concept, which merges both solar technologies into one highly Integrated CSP-PV-Hybrid (ICPH) power plant. Here, unlike in simply co-located concepts, as analyzed e.g. in [1] – [4], excess PV power that would have to be dumped is used in electric molten salt heaters to increase the storage temperature, improving storage and conversion efficiency. The authors demonstrate the electricity cost sensitivity to subsystem sizing for various market scenarios, and compare the resulting optimized ICPH plants with co-located hybrid plants. Independent of the three feed-in tariffs that have been assumed, the ICPH plant shows an electricity cost advantage of almost 20% while maintaining a high degree of flexibility in power dispatch as it is characteristic for CSP power plants. As all components of such an innovative concept are well proven, the system is ready for commercial market implementation. A first project is already contracted and in early engineering execution.
Unsteady shallow meandering flows in rectangular reservoirs: a modal analysis of URANS modelling
(2022)
Shallow flows are common in natural and human-made environments. Even for simple rectangular shallow reservoirs, recent laboratory experiments show that the developing flow fields are particularly complex, involving large-scale turbulent structures. For specific combinations of reservoir size and hydraulic conditions, a meandering jet can be observed. While some aspects of this pseudo-2D flow pattern can be reproduced using a 2D numerical model, new 3D simulations, based on the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, show consistent advantages as presented herein. A Proper Orthogonal Decomposition was used to characterize the four most energetic modes of the meandering jet at the free surface level, allowing comparison against experimental data and 2D (depth-averaged) numerical results. Three different isotropic eddy viscosity models (RNG k-ε, k-ε, k-ω) were tested. The 3D models accurately predicted the frequency of the modes, whereas the amplitudes of the modes and associated energy were damped for the friction-dominant cases and augmented for non-frictional ones. The performance of the three turbulence models remained essentially similar, with slightly better predictions by RNG k-ε model in the case with the highest Reynolds number. Finally, the Q-criterion was used to identify vortices and study their dynamics, assisting on the identification of the differences between: i) the three-dimensional phenomenon (here reproduced), ii) its two-dimensional footprint in the free surface (experimental observations) and iii) the depth-averaged case (represented by 2D models).
New materials often lead to innovations and advantages in technical applications. This also applies to the particle receiver proposed in this work that deploys high-temperature and scratch resistant transparent ceramics. With this receiver design, particles are heated through direct-contact concentrated solar irradiance while flowing downwards through tubular transparent ceramics from top to bottom. In this paper, the developed particle receiver as well as advantages and disadvantages are described. Investigations on the particle heat-up characteristics from solar irradiance were carried out with DEM simulations which indicate that particle temperatures can reach up to 1200 K. Additionally, a simulation model was set up for investigating the dynamic behavior. A test receiver at laboratory scale has been designed and is currently being built. In upcoming tests, the receiver test rig will be used to validate the simulation results. The design and the measurement equipment is described in this work.
The seismic performance and safety of major European industrial facilities has a global interest for Europe, its citizens and economy. A potential major disaster at an industrial site could affect several countries, probably far beyond the country where it is located. However, the seismic design and safety assessment of these facilities is practically based on national, often outdated seismic hazard assessment studies, due to many reasons, including the absence of a reliable, commonly developed seismic hazard model for whole Europe. This important gap is no more existing, as the 2020 European Seismic Hazard Model ESHM20 was released in December 2021. In this paper we investigate the expected impact of the adoption of ESHM20 on the seismic demand for industrial facilities, through the comparison of the ESHM20 probabilistic hazard at the sites where industrial facilities are located with the respective national and European regulations. The goal of this preliminary work in the framework of Working Group 13 of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (EAEE), is to identify potential inadequacies in the design and safety control of existing industrial facilities and to highlight the expected impact of the adoption of the new European Seismic Hazard Model on the design of new industrial facilities and the safety assessment of existing ones.
An interdisciplinary view on humane interfaces for digital shadows in the internet of production
(2022)
Digital shadows play a central role for the next generation industrial internet, also known as Internet of Production (IoP). However, prior research has not considered systematically how human actors interact with digital shadows, shaping their potential for success. To address this research gap, we assembled an interdisciplinary team of authors from diverse areas of human-centered research to propose and discuss design and research recommendations for the implementation of industrial user interfaces for digital shadows, as they are currently conceptualized for the IoP. Based on the four use cases of decision support systems, knowledge sharing in global production networks, human-robot collaboration, and monitoring employee workload, we derive recommendations for interface design and enhancing workers’ capabilities. This analysis is extended by introducing requirements from the higher-level perspectives of governance and organization.
This study investigated the anaerobic digestion of an algal–bacterial biofilm grown in artificial wastewater in an Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). The ATS system was located in a greenhouse (50°54′19ʺN, 6°24′55ʺE, Germany) and was exposed to seasonal conditions during the experiment period. The methane (CH4) potential of untreated algal–bacterial biofilm (UAB) and thermally pretreated biofilm (PAB) using different microbial inocula was determined by anaerobic batch fermentation. Methane productivity of UAB differed significantly between microbial inocula of digested wastepaper, a mixture of manure and maize silage, anaerobic sewage sludge, and percolated green waste. UAB using sewage sludge as inoculum showed the highest methane productivity. The share of methane in biogas was dependent on inoculum. Using PAB, a strong positive impact on methane productivity was identified for the digested wastepaper (116.4%) and a mixture of manure and maize silage (107.4%) inocula. By contrast, the methane yield was significantly reduced for the digested anaerobic sewage sludge (50.6%) and percolated green waste (43.5%) inocula. To further evaluate the potential of algal–bacterial biofilm for biogas production in wastewater treatment and biogas plants in a circular bioeconomy, scale-up calculations were conducted. It was found that a 0.116 km2 ATS would be required in an average municipal wastewater treatment plant which can be viewed as problematic in terms of space consumption. However, a substantial amount of energy surplus (4.7–12.5 MWh a−1) can be gained through the addition of algal–bacterial biomass to the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater treatment and subsequent energy production through algae show dominancy over conventional technologies.
Using optimization to design a renewable energy system has become a computationally demanding task as the high temporal fluctuations of demand and supply arise within the considered time series. The aggregation of typical operation periods has become a popular method to reduce effort. These operation periods are modelled independently and cannot interact in most cases. Consequently, seasonal storage is not reproducible. This inability can lead to a significant error, especially for energy systems with a high share of fluctuating renewable energy. The previous paper, “Time series aggregation for energy system design: Modeling seasonal storage”, has developed a seasonal storage model to address this issue. Simultaneously, the paper “Optimal design of multi-energy systems with seasonal storage” has developed a different approach. This paper aims to review these models and extend the first model. The extension is a mathematical reformulation to decrease the number of variables and constraints. Furthermore, it aims to reduce the calculation time while achieving the same results.
Edge-based and face-based smoothed finite element methods (ES-FEM and FS-FEM, respectively) are modified versions of the finite element method allowing to achieve more accurate results and to reduce sensitivity to mesh distortion, at least for linear elements. These properties make the two methods very attractive. However, their implementation in a standard finite element code is nontrivial because it requires heavy and extensive modifications to the code architecture. In this article, we present an element-based formulation of ES-FEM and FS-FEM methods allowing to implement the two methods in a standard finite element code with no modifications to its architecture. Moreover, the element-based formulation permits to easily manage any type of element, especially in 3D models where, to the best of the authors' knowledge, only tetrahedral elements are used in FS-FEM applications found in the literature. Shape functions for non-simplex 3D elements are proposed in order to apply FS-FEM to any standard finite element.
Industrial production systems are facing radical change in multiple dimensions. This change is caused by technological developments and the digital transformation of production, as well as the call for political and social change to facilitate a transformation toward sustainability. These changes affect both the capabilities of production systems and companies and the design of higher education and educational programs. Given the high uncertainty in the likelihood of occurrence and the technical, economic, and societal impacts of these concepts, we conducted a technology foresight study, in the form of a real-time Delphi analysis, to derive reliable future scenarios featuring the next generation of manufacturing systems. This chapter presents the capabilities dimension and describes each projection in detail, offering current case study examples and discussing related research, as well as implications for policy makers and firms. Specifically, we discuss the benefits of capturing expert knowledge and making it accessible to newcomers, especially in highly specialized industries. The experts argue that in order to cope with the challenges and circumstances of today’s world, students must already during their education at university learn how to work with AI and other technologies. This means that study programs must change and that universities must adapt their structural aspects to meet the needs of the students.
Recent earthquakes as the 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence showed that recently built unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings behaved much better than expected and sustained, despite the maximum PGA values ranged between 0.20–0.30 g, either minor damage or structural damage that is deemed repairable. Especially low-rise residential and commercial masonry buildings with a code-conforming seismic design and detailing behaved in general very well without substantial damages. The low damage grades of modern masonry buildings that was observed during this earthquake series highlighted again that codified design procedures based on linear analysis can be rather conservative. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. These q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms which represent recent construction practise in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. Furthermore, considerations on the behaviour factor component due to other sources of overstrength in masonry buildings are presented. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0–3.0 are proposed.
In this paper research activities developed within the FutureCom project are presented. The project, funded by the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR), aims at evaluating and characterizing: (i) active devices, (ii) signal- and power integrity of field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits, (iii) operational performance of electronic circuits in real-world and harsh environments (e.g. below and above ambient temperatures and at different levels of humidity), (iv) passive inter-modulation (PIM) in communication systems considering different values of temperature and humidity corresponding to the typical operating conditions that we can experience in real-world scenarios. An overview of the FutureCom project is provided here, then the research activities are described.
GHEtool is a Python package that contains all the functionalities needed to deal with borefield design. It is developed for both researchers and practitioners. The core of this package is the automated sizing of borefield under different conditions. The sizing of a borefield is typically slow due to the high complexity of the mathematical background. Because this tool has a lot of precalculated data, GHEtool can size a borefield in the order of tenths of milliseconds. This sizing typically takes the order of minutes. Therefore, this tool is suited for being implemented in typical workflows where iterations are required.
GHEtool also comes with a graphical user interface (GUI). This GUI is prebuilt as an exe-file because this provides access to all the functionalities without coding. A setup to install the GUI at the user-defined place is also implemented and available at: https://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/tme/research/thermal_systems/tools/ghetool.
Concerning current efforts to improve operational efficiency and to lower overall costs of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with prediction-based algorithms, this study investigates the quality and uncertainty of nowcasting data regarding the implications for process predictions. DNI (direct normal irradiation) maps from an all-sky imager-based nowcasting system are applied to a dynamic prediction model coupled with ray tracing. The results underline the need for high-resolution DNI maps in order to predict net yield and receiver outlet temperature realistically. Furthermore, based on a statistical uncertainty analysis, a correlation is developed, which allows for predicting the uncertainty of the net power prediction based on the corresponding DNI forecast uncertainty. However, the study reveals significant prediction errors and the demand for further improvement in the accuracy at which local shadings are forecasted.
A promising approach to reduce the system costs of molten salt solar receivers is to enable the irradiation of the absorber tubes on both sides. The star design is an innovative receiver design, pursuing this approach. The unconventional design leads to new challenges in controlling the system. This paper presents a control concept for a molten salt receiver system in star design. The control parameters are optimized in a defined test cycle by minimizing a cost function. The control concept is tested in realistic cloud passage scenarios based on real weather data. During these tests, the control system showed no sign of unstable behavior, but to perform sufficiently in every scenario further research and development like integrating Model Predictive Controls (MPCs) need to be done. The presented concept is a starting point to do so.
Promoting diversity and combatting discrimination in research organizations: a practitioner’s guide
(2022)
The essay is addressed to practitioners in research management and from
academic leadership. It describes which measures can contribute to creating an inclusive climate for research teams and preventing and effectively dealing with discrimination. The practical recommendations consider the policy and organizational levels, as well as the individual perspective of research managers. Following a series of basic recommendations, six lessons learned are formulated, derived from the contributions to the edited collection on “Diversity and Discrimination in Research Organizations.”
Diversity management is seen as a decisive factor for ensuring the development of socially responsible innovations (Beacham and Shambaugh, 2011; Sonntag, 2014; López, 2015; Uebernickel et al., 2015). However, many diversity management approaches fail due to a one-sided consideration of diversity (Thomas and Ely, 2019) and a lacking linkage between the prevailing organizational culture and the perception of diversity in the respective organization. Reflecting the importance of diverse perspectives, research institutions have a special responsibility to actively deal with diversity, as they are publicly funded institutions that drive socially relevant development and educate future generations of developers, leaders and decision-makers. Nevertheless, only a few studies have so far dealt with the influence of the special framework conditions of the science system on diversity management. Focusing on the interdependency of the organizational culture and diversity management especially in a university research environment, this chapter aims in a first step to provide a theoretical perspective on the framework conditions of a complex research organization in Germany in order to understand the system-specific factors influencing diversity management. In a second step, an exploratory cluster analysis is presented, investigating the perception of diversity and possible influencing factors moderating this perception in a scientific organization. Combining both steps, the results show specific mechanisms and structures of the university research environment that have an impact on diversity management and rigidify structural barriers preventing an increase of diversity. The quantitative study also points out that the management level takes on a special role model function in the scientific system and thus has an influence on the perception of diversity. Consequently, when developing diversity management approaches in research organizations, it is necessary to consider the top-down direction of action, the special nature of organizational structures in the university research environment as well as the special role of the professorial level as role model for the scientific staff.
The future of industrial manufacturing and production will increasingly manifest in the form of cyber-physical production systems. Here, Digital Shadows will act as mediators between the physical and digital world to model and operationalize the interactions and relationships between different entities in production systems. Until now, the associated concepts have been primarily pursued and implemented from a technocentric perspective, in which human actors play a subordinate role, if they are considered at all. This paper outlines an anthropocentric approach that explicitly considers the characteristics, behavior, and traits and states of human actors in socio-technical production systems. For this purpose, we discuss the potentials and the expected challenges and threats of creating and using Human Digital Shadows in production.