Marcus Petermann

Manufacture of Powder Coatings by Spraying of Gas-Enriched Melts

An alternative process for the manufacture of powder coatings was developed. The continuously operated process is applicable to new (low-melting and fast-reacting) and conventional powder coating systems and allows to produce coatings with improved properties. The process uses the solubility of compressed gases in melts of coating polymers at pressures up to 220 bar. The single components of a powder coating mixture are melted in separated tanks and are dosed to a static mixer by means of high-pressure pumps. In the mixer the melts are homogenized and simultaneously compressed carbon dioxide is dissolved. The so-formed solution is depressurized directly afterwards over a nozzle into a spray tower. Thereby, the melt is atomized into fine droplets and cooled by the expanding gas. The droplets reach the solidification point of the melt and fine solid particles are formed. The particle size, particle size distribution and the morphology of the powders could be adjusted by the operating parameters of the plant.

Virtual Labs and Remote Labs: Practical experience for everyone

Laboratory experiences should be available for a great number of students in engineering education, especially at times when the number of students is even more increasing. Virtual Labs and Remote Labs are innovative tools used for improvement. They are either simulating experiments (Virtual Labs) or remotely operated plants (Remote Labs). At Ruhr-University Bochum, the implementation of eight new labs was supported by the project ELLI (excellent teaching and learning in engineering sciences). Didactical concepts as well as sustainable implementations were among the criteria of the independent jurys decision. After their setup, the management of the variety of labs is the next step. This short paper reports the work in progress in the year 2013, the whole process is to be continued and improved.

What students use: Results of a survey on media use among engineering students

Nowadays, university students are facing a large number of highly diverse media, including conventional books as well as online-based mobile applications - all used to support learning. Especially the internet with its connected social media services or e-learning possibilities induced significant changes in society and in the landscape of higher education during the last years and still do so. The four universities RWTH Aachen University, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology conducted an exploratory student survey on media and information use, in order to expand the empirical database on that topic. A special focus was laid on mobile learning. In this context the survey asked for hardware and software the students are using and for those situations where they already got in contact with any kind of mobile learning - e.g. by using special apps for learning or because they were asked by their teachers to use a mobile device. The results of the survey elucidate that the use of online media and especially social media as well as mobile devices in higher education are in need to be promoted in future. Furthermore, it reveals demands for action in the field of media competency concerning students as well as teachers.

Particle Formation from Gas-Enriched Polymeric Melts and Polymeric Solutions

Within the scope of this subproject, a gas-assisted high-pressure spray process (PGSS—Particles from Gas-Saturated Solutions) was investigated. The gas used for the atomization is carbon dioxide (CO2) which for the most purposes is in supercritical state. In the spray process, the gas is partly dissolved into the liquid before the atomization. The dissolved CO2 changes the physical properties of the liquid such as viscosity and surface tension and enables high-viscous substances to be atomized. Several authors were able to atomize high-viscous substances such as polymers, fats, and waxes with such a spray process. Nevertheless, till now the fundamental influence of the CO2 on the atomization phenomena has not been taken into account. For this reason, experiments which shall clarify how the CO2 affects the spray and particle formation have been carried out systematically within this project. Sprays of water, polymers, and aqueous polymeric solutions were observed and investigated. The liquids were sprayed as pure substances as well as CO2-enriched substances from an autoclave in a batch wise working process. To get a deeper understanding of the observed effects, optically transparent spray geometries were developed. Observations of the flow regime of the gas-enriched liquids gave explanations of the governing atomization phenomena. The results of the experiments show that the working principle of the PGSS process is based on the phenomena of flash atomization. Classical phenomena such as jet and lamella breakup can be neglected for the continuously working process. In further experiments, powders of polyethyleneglycols (PEG 6000) were generated using the continuously working process. Several spray devices were used such as hollow cone nozzles, capillaries, and orifices. The results show that powders with average particle size distributions in the order of 100 μm can be generated independently from the design of the spray device. Therefore, it is proven, that the flash atomization is the governing working principle in the PGSS process.

Status Quo of Media Usage and Mobile Learning in Engineering Education

The usage of different kinds of media is part and parcel of teaching and learning processes in higher education. According to today’s possibilities of information and communication technologies, mobile devices and app-usage have become indispensable for a big share of the population in everyday life. However, there is little empirical evidence on how students use mobile devices for learning processes in higher education, especially in engineering education. Within the project “Excellent Teaching and Learning in Engineering Sciences (ELLI)”, three large technical universities (RWTH Aachen University, Ruhr-University Bochum, Technical University Dortmund) follow different approaches in order to improve the current teaching and learning situation in engineering education. Many of the corresponding measures are media-related. In this context, a broad understanding of media is applied which includes hardware as well as software. Amongst others, research is conducted on the topics of mobile learning, virtual laboratories, virtual collaboration, social media services and e-learning recommendation systems for teaching staff. In order to match the literature and results of the project with the current habits of study related media usage of students, the three universities conducted a survey in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The KIT’s questionnaire covers more than 50 education-related media and IT-Services and has been applied at over 20 universities in 6 countries. For the survey conducted within the ELLI project, the topic of mobile learning was added to the questionnaire. Over 1.500 students were asked about their habits of study related media usage in terms of frequency of use and level of satisfaction. Regarding the topic of mobile learning, the students were asked for the kind of hardware and the kind of apps they use for higher education purposes. The 130 identified apps were clustered regarding subject and function. This paper presents the main results concerning the students’ general habits of study related media usage and their mobile learning habits. It concludes with a special focus on the possibilities mobile devices offer to the improvement of engineering education.

GoING.ábroad:: A discipline-specific approach to promote the mobility of German engineering students

The GoING Abroad program was designed by the project ELLI — Excellent Teaching and Learning in Engineering Science — at the Ruhr Universität Bochum in Germany in order to increase the international mobility of engineering students. A regular information session combines subject-specific information with student experiences and introduces contact persons at the university and engineering faculties. The format is accompanied by information material such as a newsletter, a website and a brochure. Starting in spring 2013, over 350 students have participated in the sessions and subscribed to the newsletter. This short paper explains the special requirements and according setup of a program that aims at increasing outbound mobility by encouraging engineering students to spend a study semester or an internship abroad. It shows how different stakeholders in internationalization can be brought together with a common objective to reduce mobility barriers and to distribute outgoing placements efficiently among students. It gives an overview of participation structure and evaluation results of the 9 info sessions conducted during the last four years. The programs overall performance will be considered as well as its acceptance among students and faculty employees.

Querformat – Ein Lehrveranstaltungskonzept zur Förderung des interdisziplinären Dialogs

The professional life of engineers is strongly formed by complex questions which include economical, ecological or social aspects. Therefore, the ability to communicate with members of different disciplines is essential to cope with those multidisciplinary tasks. In the framework of the project ,,Excellent Teaching and Learning in Engineering Science“ (ELLI), the course concept ,,landscape format“ was developed which aims to promote the ability of students to do interdisciplinary teamwork. This paper gives an account of the conception as well as the experience of the pilot course and identifies prospects for further development.

Higher Education Institutions as Key Actors in the Global Competition for Engineering Talent – Germany in International Comparison

In order to prevent the predicted shortage of highly qualified labour in technical professions, Germany and other industrialized nations show increasing interest in strategies of controlled immigration, one being the recruitment of foreign students: Many European countries are seizing the opportunity to attract international students to support their labour market after graduating from their universities [1].

ALLES ING! Count me in! Attracting human talents in providing open access to universities with focusing on individual opportunities in engineering sciences

In higher engineering education of the 21st century, it is necessary to “go with the times” and make use of many and varied ways when it comes to attracting young talents for technical studies. At the Ruhr Universität Bochum, the Project ELLI decides to start an offensive with the engineering faculties: They give an insight into “Who we are and what we are doing” in the framework of their new, joint initiative “ALLES ING!”. In this endeavor, the faculties for Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology present themselves with a shared “business card” to the public beyond, as well as within the university. This paper documents the concept and development of “ALLES ING!” as a means of attracting human talent for engineering education, as well as the challenges and opportunities that still lie ahead.

International student mobility in engineering education

Engineering students are, compared to their counterparts in other disciplines, less mobile resulting in limited intercultural skills. Globalization requires professionals being excellent in their fields and being able to work on a global scale at the same time. So far, engineering education has put too little stress on integrating intercultural competences into curricula. This paper shows new approaches to incorporate international experiences into higher engineering education. First, it analyzes the current situation of international student mobility in Germany, before emphasizing the general motivation for international student exchange especially in engineering science. A consortium of three excellent German engineering universities was put up to introduce new measures for increasing student mobility as is described subsequently. This paper represents work in progress. Thus, further results will be published continuously.