People

	Bernhard Pichler Associate Professor		bernhard.pichler@tuwien.ac.at  +43 1 58801 20224
	Main research interests of Associate Professor Bernhard Pichler are to develop innovative test protocols in the field of experimental mechanics and to exploit the results in the context of structural analysis of civil engineering infrastructure. In this context, multiscale modeling of cementitious materials is an important vehicle. Mechanical properties of interest include the elastic stiffness, creep, strength, and thermal expansion coefficients.
	Luis Zelaya PhD Student		luis.zelaya.lainez@tuwien.ac.at  +43 1 58801 20256
	Luis Zelaya is a PhD Student at Vienna University of Technology since 2016, afer studying biomedical engineering in Vienna and nuclear safety engineering in Spain. He is focussing on chemical and micromechanical testing on biomaterials such as bone, wood and chitin but recently also on construction materials.
	Olaf Lahayne University Assistant		olaf.lahayne@tuwien.ac.at  +43 1 58801 20232
	Diploma study of physics in Hannover, Germany. Doctoral research study at TU Wien in cooperation with several tire producers. Postdoctoral research fellow since 2008 with focus on materials science.

Institution

Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures

The Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures at TU Wien – Vienna University of Technology enjoys high international reputation in the fields of combined experimental-theoretical research work in engineering mechanics. This includes experimental characterization of microheterogeneous materials at microscopic and macroscopic scales, the development of predictive multiscale material models, and their use in structural simulations. Studied material systems include cementitious materials, wood and wood products, masonry, bone, and biomimetic materials.

Micro and Macromechanical experimental characterization

Ultrasonic tests and Nanoindentation are two tried and tested test methods for investigating a wide range of materials. Since they are relatively easy to handle in the implementation and non-destructive, they can complement the results of other test methods and deliver the numerical reference framework for the theoretical and numerical analysis of various materials, especially for micromechanical multiscale modelling. An essential aspect of these test methods is the complementary micro- and macro-mechanical character of Nanoindentation and Ultrasonic tests, respectively.

Ultrasonic tests

• Measurement of sound velocities for various frequencies and for longitudinal as well as shear waves
• Based on the velocities, calculation of the material parameters, especially Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio
• Test of homogeneity and isotropy by observance of wave direction and orientation

Nanoindentation

• Micromechanical measurements of indentation modulus and hardness at specific positions
• Application of statistical nanoindentation techniques as basis for deconvolution techniques
• Imaging of material surfaces for roughness measurements
• Mapping of surfaces for investigations in material components