January 2021 was the beginning of the collaborative research project "Multiscale Tests, Simulation, Optimization and 3D-Printing of UHPFRC Materials and Structures"* between research groups from Wuhan University, China and Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

The joint research focuses on the development of innovative solutions in the field of 3D-printed ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). The Wuhan University team performs CT scans and provides high-resolution CT images. The team from the Institute for Structural Mechanics uses the CT images to create high-resolution digital 3D models from which directly numerical models are automatically generated. These numerical models allow analysing the failure mechanisms of 3D-printed fibre-reinforced concrete on the meso-scale very precisely.

The collaborative research is embedded in a mobility programme between Prof. Günther Meschke (Institute for Structural Mechanics, RUB) and Prof. Zhenjung Yang (Wuhan University, China).
After a first visit of Prof. Zhenjun Yang and members of his team (Yin Chi, Le Huang) at the Ruhr University Bochum in July 2023, Prof. Meschke and his team visited Wuhan University from 05.-07. August 2024.





* This project is part of the Sino-German Mobility Programme, an agreement reached by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).