Grüezi mitenand (Swiss greeting)
At the beginning of the year, I made my way to one of the most expensive and at the same time most beautiful places on earth, Zurich! Here I joined the timber construction and fire protection group led by Andrea Frangi and Michael Klippel at ETH Zurich for the next three months to work on my habilitation. As part of the cooperation with the IBS (Institute for Fire Protection Technology and Safety Research) in Linz, I am working on the modelling of fluid/solid interaction at high temperatures in fires as well as in industrial processes. In other words, what happens to the walls, doors etc. during a fire and how long do these components protect people and animals from the high temperatures and toxic fumes?
I was able to familiarise myself with the Swiss mentality right at the start of my stay, as the FireSim oven was fired up at full throttle.
What at first glance looks like a simple heat transport problem is, however, decisively influenced by chemical transformation processes in the solid under consideration, mass transport and deformations. The tests in the “FireSim” oven expose wooden components to defined temperature curves and determine the heat and mass transfer in the porous structure and the failure of individual layers based on the measured data. The measurement data will be used to create numerical models for the virtual representation of the transport processes and the interaction with the hot gas phase (combustion) and deformation. The numerical models thus expand the possibilities for estimating the consequences of fire on the surrounding structures and contribute to the development of new fire protection elements.
I was able to familiarise myself with the Swiss mentality right at the start of my stay, as the FireSim oven was fired up at full throttle. Between the first tests, I was also able to get an initial overview of the ETH Hönggerberg campus. We also went up the nearby Käferberg, from where you can enjoy a fantastic view of Zurich and Lake Zurich. But I could also gain my first impressions of life in Switzerland on a trip to the centre of Zurich and to Lake Zurich, where large banks and luxury boutiques are located (keyword Bahnhofstrasse). A little refreshment was then provided by tasting the “Schoggi” (chocolate in Alemannic German) at the Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate factory.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t allow us to go skiing in the famous Swiss Alps in the first few weeks. But I will certainly be able to fulfil this dream later.
Kind regards from Zurich,
Rene Prieler
(Institute of Thermal Engineering)
