Representatives of science and the construction industry from Poland and the Czech Republic were invited to participate in the 19th edition of the CEMEX Förderpreis Beton Central Europe 2020 competition for the first time. Two Poles were among the finalists: Ewa Kapeluszna, PhD, from AGH University of Science and Technology and Kamil Załęgowski, PhD, from Warsaw University of Technology.
The competition entries were evaluated by an international jury, which selected a total of six finalists from 3 countries. From Poland, 2 out of 4 submitted works made it to the final of the competition. The main prize in the competition is 10,000 euros.
This year the international jury decided to select two winners from Germany: Dr. Daniel Weger with his work "Additive manufacturing of concrete structures with Selective Paste Intrusion" and Dr. Venkatesh Naidu Nerella with his work "Development and characterization of cement-based materials for extrusion-based 3D-printing." The winners will divide the top cash prize among themselves.
All of the competition entries were once again of a very high standard, says chairman of the international jury Prof. Rolf Breitenbücher of Rufra University in Bochum, Germany. - The submissions of Dr. Daniel Weger and Dr. Venkatesh Naidu Nerella combine all the aspects we were looking for in this competition. Their papers contain important developments affecting the further development of concrete construction, and in addition to the technical and scientific aspects, they convincingly describe how the main ideas can be applied in practice in the construction industry, with a special focus on CEMEX's main objective. - He adds.
We are very pleased with the professional cooperation of the international jury of experts and their unanimous result. The two winning entries of the CEMEX Förderpreis Beton Central Europe 2020 competition set trends in the use and further expansion of 3D printing in concrete. The technologies presented by Dr. Nerell and Dr. Weger differ in terms of application. From our point of view, both have the potential to bring about sustainable changes in concrete construction in the short to medium term. - says Karsten Schubert, Director of Product Technology at CEMEX Central Europe.
I hope that the competition was just a prelude to our continued fruitful cooperation. It turned out that we are dealing with similar issues and problems concerning modern materials and technologies. I hope that the competition will continue in the following years, because the interest of students in research work on modern concrete technology is very high. - emphasizes Professor Maria Kaszynska of the West Pomeranian University of Technology.
Mainly defended doctoral theses were submitted to the competition. Their level was very high, and some can be assessed as outstanding," says Professor Jan Deja of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, a member of the competition jury. - The competition works reflected trends in materials and technologies that respond to the challenges facing the cement and concrete industry. There was no shortage of issues such as reducing the carbon footprint of building materials, prefabrication or 3D concrete technology. - Professor Deja mentions.
Successes of Poles
Two scientists from Poland made it to the finals of the competition. The jury thus honored Ewa Kapeluszna from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow and Kamil Załęgowski from the Warsaw University of Technology.
I was prompted to participate in the competition by the desire to show myself and others that scientific work on cement and concrete chemistry has great scientific, publication and application potential," says Ewa Kapeluszna. - I am glad that by participating in the competition I was able to test my capabilities in the international arena. - She adds.
The desire to share his experience also guided Kamil Załęgowski, who presented a paper on concrete technology for the design of concrete composites with defined utility. As he points out:
The paper attempts to link the traditional approach to concrete design, based on the relationship between technology and properties, with microstructure analysis involving the search for quantitative relationships between microstructure and properties.
About the Förderpreis Beton award
Förderpreis Beton is an award that has been presented by CEMEX since 1984. It is in high demand among German concrete technologists. It also represents a prestigious and important distinction in the field of building materials research. By awarding the CEMEX Förderpreis Beton Central Europe prize, CEMEX supports the development of the production, processing and applications of concrete and concrete structures.
