The lecture series of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at OTH Regensburg kicked off the winter semester with an exciting start: Dr Gregor Schacht, Managing Director of MKP GmbH, gave a fascinating lecture on the challenges and possibilities of monitoring prestressed concrete bridges. The focus was on the problem of stress corrosion cracking - a damage mechanism that very probably also contributed to the failure of the Carola Bridge in Dresden.
Dr Schacht opened his presentation with a review of the pioneering developments in prestressing technology that made prestressed concrete a milestone in bridge construction. Despite its success, prestressed concrete harbours risks, particularly due to stress corrosion cracking. This insidious danger can cause cracks and corrosion on the tendons, which are often difficult to recognise from the outside, and it presents engineers with major challenges. The example of the Carola Bridge illustrates the potential consequences if such damage goes unnoticed.
Dr Schacht explained existing detection methods for assessing the risk of corrosion, but pointed out that conventional methods often leave uncertainties about the actual condition of the structure. He showed how modern monitoring, including technologies such as acoustic emission analysis, can help to reduce such uncertainties, detect damage at an early stage and sustainably extend the service life of bridge structures.
The lecture was the successful start to a three-part series of lectures by the Faculty of Civil Engineering at OTH Regensburg in the winter semester 2024/25. In the next lecture on 28 November, Alexander Bauer, Deputy Head of the Flood Protection and Hydraulic Engineering Department of the City of Regensburg, will speak about the 2024 floods in Regensburg.
Further information on the lecture series can be found at https://bauingenieurwesen.oth-regensburg.de/fileadmin/Bereiche/Fakultaet_B/Dokumente/Vortragsreihe/WiSe2024_25/Flyer_Vortragsreihe_WiSe2024-25.pdf.