MPA Bremen - Microscopy

IWT

Institute of Materials Science

Bremen Institute for Materials Testing (MPA)

Analytical Microscopy of Building Materials

Head of Department: Dr.-Ing. Herbert Juling

MPA Bremen

Departments

Metal materials

Civil Engineering

Microscopy


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  Diplomer- and
     student projects

Microbiology

Mortar with lime inclusions
Ettringite in "lime binder"

The department "Analytical Microscopy of Building Materials" was founded in 1989 as a research working group. During the great project "Research for Cultural Heritage" funded by the German ministry of research (BMBF) this working group undertook the task to investigate damage and deterioration processes on diverse monument relevant building materials. By order of the BMBF mobile laboratories with complete scanning electron microscopical equipment on wheels were developed to help the monument responsibles just in front of the buildings in their cultural heritage research.
The list of investigated monuments and the finished and projects in activity will give a good impression of the great experience the MPA has achieved during the last 15 years.

The experinces worked out in many research projects increasingly are capitalised by customers and responsibles for cultural heritage monuments or buildings with altering materials. Thereby damage analysis with petrografical investigations and phase and microfracture descriptions of natural stones, historical mortars and plasters or bricks are in the main focus with expertises concerning a sensefull and valuable restoration.

Another main focus lies on microscopical judgement in modern civil engineering. In doing so chemical, physical and biological influences on building and constructural materials will investigated and visualised. Especially the possibilities of electron microscopical investigations using the cryo-techniques are very helpful e.g. for the understanding of setting and hardening processes of fresh mortars or concrete. In this field some intensive co-operation with severals civil enginieering institutes and companies are in progress, yet.

Also in the field of recycling of building materials the importance of microscopical research is becoming more and more important, whereby the co-operation with the also in our house resident research accociation "Recycling of Materials in Civil engineering" is very beneficial. At time some research projects are in progress..

A special service for the Bremen region is the analysis of asbestos contenting materials with identification check, measuring of room air and expertises for clean-up of former waste deposits. The MPA Bremen is accredited as an interpretation laboratory for "external inspection authorities for fibrous dust".

Survey of fields of activities

Analysis of damage mechanisms during building material deterioration and corrosion (Cultural heritage research))
Investigation and visualisation of chemical, physical and biological influences on building materials
Phase and microfracture analysis / petrography / "concrete"graphy
Damage analysis and expertises
Asbestos identification, interpretation laboratory for "external inspection authorities for fibrous dust"

Last change 25.05.2007

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