Bend and Break

This minor introduces you to research and engineering topics in structural designing and engineering in four themes: Materials (natural, engineered, meta-materials), Structures (infrastructure, utility, residential), Form and Force (functionality and safety) and Circularity (responsible use of resources). You will be introduced to various building materials, each of which possesses certain outstanding technical properties that make them ideal for specific applications. When applied in a careful structural design, such materials realise the structural properties used in buildings, transport and civil infrastructure that shape our society and provide the basis for economic activity. Circularity of materials and circularity embedded in structural design aims to preserve building materials for future use and to reduce the ecological footprint of the civil construction sector. The four themes are shaped by macro- and minicourses in which laboratory exercises are central. There you will be introduced to specialised fields (macrocourses) and topics from current research (minicourses) in structural civil engineering. You will apply your newly acquired knowledge in typical engineering activities such as designing and modelling, testing, material processing and data analysis. Your labwork is always in a small student group. The six courses of 5EC each are listed below and are further elaborated in the study guide: https://www.studyguide.tudelft.nl/

CTXXXX Bend and Break Research Topics: minicourses, practicum report 100%
CT3170-19 Bend and Break Experimentele Recycling: exam 35%, practicum reports 65%
CT3260-24 Bend and Break Beton: exam 20%, labwork 40%, practicum report 40%
CT3270-15 Bend and Break Form and Force: exam 20%, practicum report 80%
CT3280-19 Bend and Break Metselwerk: exam 35%, practicum report 65%
CT3295-19 Bend and Break Asfalt: exam 35%, practicum report 65%

You will learn about building materials and construction, designing and analyzing constructions, and processing recycled materials. You will design, build, and test your own samples. This will allow you to experience whether your design and construction materials behave as predicted. You can use these insights and experiences later in your professional career to make considered decisions.

Registration for this thematic minor is on a first-come, first-served basis and available places. (No lottery draw).

For whom?

• University level BSc students with at least a BSA and the required pre-knowledge from TUE and UTwente.
• TU Delft with at least a BSA: Bk, CT, IO, LR, MT, TA, TN, Wb, EE, TI
• HTS students (also called “University of Applied Sciences”) with at least a BSA may submit a request for admittance to the program coordinator of this minor per email. State briefly your basic skills that are relevant to the required level and your motivation for choosing this minor.

Student at Leiden University, TU Delft or Erasmus University Rotterdam?
Check the eligibility matrix to see if your bachelor degree program offers access to this minor at https://www.tudelft.nl/minor

Student at another educational institution?
External students cannot register via EduXchange. Please consult the registration procedure at https://www.tudelft.nl/minor

For information about the courses, visit the TU Delftstudy guide.
For additional information on this minor, visit the TU Delftminor page.

Minicourses (5/3 EC each): lectures, workshops, supervised lab practicum activities, lab report.
Macrocourses (5 EC each): lectures, workshops, computer supported learning, (partly) supervised lab practicum activities, lab report and written exam.

Assessment
The assessments of the six courses are detailed in the study guide: https://www.studyguide.tudelft.nl/
Details about the practicums are announced by the responsible teacher during the first lecture and on Brightspace. At least 20% of the final grade of each course will be related to an individual assessment (exam, practicum achievement), mainly aimed at testing the student’s understanding of the course material and ability to apply it in a practical context.