Module A: Modelling and Characterisation

Use of materials for structural applications requires quantification of the material performance. Such quantification is related to two scientific disciplines: experimental characterisation and numerical modelling. Safe engineering with construction materials requires that material behaviour has been experimentally tested under controlled conditions and that the performance of the material under expected conditions can be predicted with simulations. In materials science, the two disciplines meet when numerical simulations are used to interpret laboratory experiments and when experiments are used to calibrate and validate models. This module provides students in the construction materials track with a solid basis in both disciplines of measuring and modelling. Students will learn about using advanced experimental techniques that can be used in the laboratory and on-site to monitor and characterise construction material performance. Furthermore, they will be trained to interpret measured data and determine consequences for their short and long-term performance in the specific application. This module will also prepare students for the development and application of multi- scale and multi-physics modelling techniques to study the behaviour of construction materials and to explain deterioration and damage accumulation.