| Topic title |
Possible scientific supervisors |
Source of funding |
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The occurrence of reinforcement shadows on the formed surface of a precast concrete element
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prof. dr. Mindaugas DAUKŠYS |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
The appearance of darker lines on the surface of the product results from changes in the structure of hardened cement paste around the reinforcement bars during the product manufacture. Literature analysis showed that the main cause of the changes in the structure of hardened cement paste has not been found yet. The effect of reinforcement shadows is one of the most difficult technological processes to control in precast concrete manufacture. The research topic solving relevant issues has been coordinated with UAB INHUS Prefab.
The object of the research is the reinforcement shadows on the surface of a precast concrete element.
The research aims to determine the causes of reinforcement shadows on the surface of a precast concrete product and to develop recommendations for controlling this negative effect.
The relationship between the technological properties of concrete mixture, properties of the molds, technological parameters of concrete mixture casting and compacting, and the negative effect of reinforcement shadows determined after the planned research and analysis of research results will make it possible to predict the changes in the structure of hardened cement paste around the reinforcement bars on the visible surface of the precast concrete element. The research results will be used to develop recommendations for precast concrete product manufacturers so that reinforcement shadows on the visible surface of the product can be controlled or prevented.
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Development of Holistic Indoor Environmental Assessment Methodology for Digital Twin Applications
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doc. dr. Laura Stasiulienė |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
The quality of built environment is crucial as people spent most of their time indoors; it is estimated that people spent more than 90% of their time indoors. In turn, indoor environment effects of wellbeing, health, learning performance, productivity as well as general occupant’s satisfaction with a building. On the other hand, buildings cause 40% of the EU27 final energy consumption, and EU aims to reduce this consumption by 14% until 2030. This puts stress on building energy systems, as indoor climate conditions and occupant comfort has to be ensured by means of technology, compatible with zero-emission buildings standards.
The key enabler for this transition is the use of industry 4.0 practices for assessing the indoor comfort conditions in buildings, which has progressed significantly in the past years. Advances in smart sensor technology for indoor air quality have enabled large-scale data collection in buildings that could be used for operation of building services as well as for indoor environmental assessment. The use of Building Information Management (BIM), as well as of digital twins is decisive to this direction.
This research will aim to produce a systematic indoor environmental assessment methodology, which would enable sense-making of data incoming from smart sensors. The methodology will include estimation of all aspects of indoor environment comfort, including thermal comfort, air quality, acoustics, lighting, risk of cross-infection evaluation and defining criteria that combine these parameters into indices for decision-making.
The study will be aligned with the work programme of SmartWins project, and will be partly implemented at the Energy and Indoor Climate laboratory of KTU and partly with the use of experimental infrastructure at the Politecnico di Milano and specifically with the facilities of the RELAB research group.
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Investigations of the performance characteristics of wood and polyurethane foam in the contact zone of these materials
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v.m.d. dr. Raimondas BLIŪDŽIUS |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
Wood is increasingly used in building construction as a renewable building material with very low CO2 footprint compared to other construction materials such as concrete, metal or masonry. To improve the thermal properties of wooden structures, they are insulated with various thermal insulation materials. The polyurethane foam as a highly efficient thermal insulation material is increasingly used for this purpose. Wood, together with polyurethane foam, is used in construction site and prefabricated structures by pressing, fixing or gluing together. The wood-polyurethane joint in the enclosures is exposed to a variety of temperature and humidity conditions, most of which are variable, and the prediction of the mechanical, thermal and moisture characteristics of both the polyurethane foam and the wood in contact with it requires extensive research. The obtained results will be used to develop efficient and long-lasting solutions for polyurethane foam-insulated wooden partitions for energy-efficient low-carbon buildings.
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Modeling of Mechanical Properties and Investigations on Durability of Wooden Constructions from Glued Solid Timber and/or Laminated Veneer Lumber
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doc. dr. Ernestas IVANAUSKAS |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
Wooden constructions (natural, CLT, GST or LVL) are widely used in construction and other industries. The popularity of wood is determined by its relatively simple machining, availability, good physical and mechanical properties, its renewal and CO2 reduction. In order to change the properties of these structures in the desired direction, wood in them is composed in various ways with other materials - metals, glass, textiles, etc. The negative qualities of wooden constructions could be characterized by a large distribution of mechanical and physical properties of wood, and low resistance to environmental influences.
In the construction selecting wood with appropriate properties (it is known that the mechanical properties of the same wood species can differ up to 2 times or more in the same fiber direction), composing it accordingly or with other materials, changing joining methods, material ratio or orientation in structure, it is possible to obtain desired properties.
In the production of constructions from wood and wood materials, often sockets, grooves, holes, which are necessary for fastening details to each other, for communications. These elements often degrade the properties of the whole structure. By optimizing their location and orientation in the construction, the impact of these elements can be reduced.
The mechanical properties of wood and wood materials are strongly influenced by environmental influences (temperature, humidity, static and dynamic loads). In order to reduce this influence, the wood is specially treated - covered or soaked with special materials, modified thermally and chemically. Differently treated wood is differently protected from the environment.
Evaluating these and many other aspects in the work, it would be possible to create construction elements with good mechanical properties, low material consumption, resistant to environment, "environmentally friendly" suitable for the production of load-bearing or other constructions.
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Investigation of performance and durability of sealing tapes for building application
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v.m.d. dr. Vaida DOBILAITĖ |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
An essential prerequisite for energy efficiency is the long-term airtightness accomplishment of the building. Tape sealing materials are used to seal films and sheet materials, to attach them to structures, and to seal structural joints. During an operation of building, these sealing tapes are subject to variable humidity and temperature conditions. The temperature and humidity of the surfaces to which the sealing materials are applied also changes, causing the tapes to damage. Changes in the properties of sealing materials and their adhesion to the surfaces of various materials during the operation of the building may cause a significant decrease in the airtightness accomplishment of the building. Therefore, it is important to investigate changes in the deformability, breaking strength, and tear resistance of tape sealing materials and to determine changes in the strength of adhesion of these materials to various surfaces during the operation of a building.
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| Semantic enrichment of building information model elements using machine learning algorithms |
doc. dr. Darius PUPEIKIS |
state-funded |
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Investigation of textile waste utilization for interior decoration panels
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v.m.d. dr. Milda JUCIENĖ |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
The aim of the research is to investigate the possibilities of producing materials from textile waste for interior decoration of buildings. It is planned to make interior panels from different textile waste using different textile materials. The main properties of panels (such as strength, impact resistance, chemical resistance, etc.), the acoustic properties of the panels, the durability of the panels will be evaluated. The result of this research is the development of a prototype - an interior panels for the buildings.
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Sustainable and Intelligent Solutions for Educational Buildings
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prof. dr. Lina ŠEDUIKYTĖ |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
European buildings contribute to about 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% to greenhouse gas emissions. The building sector is crucial for achieving the EU's energy and environmental goals. At the same time, better and more energy-efficient buildings improve the quality of citizens' life while bringing additional benefits to the economy and society.
Nowadays, it’s not enough to fulfil the current requirements of building’s functionality, energy class and evaluation of carbon emissions. It is necessary to look one step ahead and think of buildings of tomorrow, taking into account health, sustainability and intelligence of buildings and the social responsibility of each person.
Educational buildings' thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) can affect students’ academic performance and well-being (both students and teachers) and are closely related to ventilation energy consumption. Proper heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) strategies should be adopted to reduce energy consumption without sacrificing thermal comfort and IAQ. The importance of this topic is still high after covid-19.
Productivity growth of the construction sector is influenced significantly by Industry 4.0 and especially by digitalization. The construction sector is going through a major change. Nowadays and in future, building owners and managers will have a higher value of the asset if they can predict and influence building asset behaviour; and have the additional value of the building with respect to sustainability, human health and comfort.
With the application of Industry 4.0 technologies, BIM and LCA, a new digital building evaluation tool will be created to evaluate and predict educational buildings' sustainability and energy efficiency.
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Research on the properties of artificial aggregates produced by green technology from the ashes of the Lithuanian energy industry
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doc. dr. Algirdas AUGONIS |
state-funded |
Research Topic Summary.
In Lithuania, as in the rest of the world, more and more cogeneration power and bio plants are being built, which burn household waste for the production of electricity and heat. As a by-product, ash is formed, which accumulates in quantities, and the issues of its utilization or use are not solved from both a practical and scientific point of view. In the context of the European Union's policy of turning all production into a ring road and applying so-called green technologies, this issue would address the problem of utilizing ash by making artificial aggregates that could be used for concrete production and road construction.
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