As reported in our Newsletter 1/2009, BAM has been selected for the series events “365 places” with its Test Site Technical Safety in Horstwalde near Berlin. 09.09.09 will be the day for BAM in the land of ideas. On this day we will open the test site to our visitors.

Please accompany us virtually up to the day. On our new website about the Test Site Technical Safety or BAM TTS for short, we will tell you about people who work there, about what can be seen there and about that how everything began.

Please join us on an excursion around the test site and experience what BAM has to offer.

Internet: http://www.tts.bam.de (only in German)

Contact:
Dr. Ulrike Rockland, Spokeswoman
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing
Phone: +49 30 8104-1003, email: presse@bam.de

Kick-off meeting in Baku on 30th October 2008

In the last four years Azerbaijan recorded an increase of 96 % in its gross national product. The Caucasus country booms because it possesses rich oil and gas reserves. It plays a substantial role in the European energy market as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

In the autumn of 2008 the first EU twinning project started in Azerbaijan to strengthen the national standardisation authority SCSMP (State Committee on Standardisation, Metrology and Patents). The member states have commissioned a German Austrian consortium headed by BAM, Section S.3 International Technology Transfer, to implement the project. The consortium comprises the Austrian Standards Institute (ON), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) as well as the Federal Institute of Physics and Metrology (PTB).

A goal of the 24-month project is to strengthen the horizontal legal conditions for the national quality infrastructure and to harmonise them with European and World Trade Organisation principles. The activities to be performed can be divided into seven components such as standardisation, market monitoring, implementation of European Union directives, conformity assessment, metrology, accreditation and CE marking.

The Twinning project, for which the European Union has provided 1.4 million euro within the European neighbourhood politics, contributes to the further stabilisation of the trade relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan.

Contact:
Jana Klink
Department S Accreditation, Quality in Testing, Section S.3 International Technology Transfer; iCATT
Phone: +49 30 8104-4791, internet: http://www.icatt.de

Version 7.0 of the GEFAHRGUT (DANGEROUS GOODS) database has been published. This version enables the downloading of information about all dangerous goods regulations valid in Europe, simultaneously to extensive changes which enter into force in 2009:

• UN model regulations (Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Model Regulation)
• international transport of dangerous goods on roads (ADR)
• by railway (RID)
• by ocean-going vessels (IMDG Code)
• by air (ICAO TI)
• by inland waterway craft on the Rhine (ADNR)
• newly added: Regulation on the transport of dangerous goods on inland waterways (ADN)

A short section provides an overview of the dangerous goods-related data for each type of transport as well as UN model regulations. Additionally, the physical/chemical characteristics relevant for a transport are compiled for all dangerous goods.

The consignment note module supports the user in the movement of a dangerous goods. He receives a printable consignment note which is adjusted for the multimodal consignment note of the UN model regulations.

The module for radioactive substances enables the user to carry out a classification for radioactive substances based on their measured values.

The search for non-radioactive substances was put on a modern basis by re-programming in Java. Version 7.0 provides an improved search surface.

The GEFAHRGUT (DANGEROUS GOODS) database is available on CD ROM and on the internet (www.dgg.bam.de). The data are also separately available over the BAM dangerous goods data service for integration into company-owned software or into software producers’ products.

Information:
Dr. rer. nat. Mahin Farahbakhsh
Phone: +49 30 8104-1314, email: mahin.farahbakhsh@bam.de
Internet: http://www.dgg.bam.de/

Joschka Fischer visiting BAM

In November 2008 Mr. Joschka Fischer, former German vice-chancellor and minister of foreign affairs, visited BAM be told about an actual research project regarding hydrogen storage in glass capillary arrays. This promising project is supported by C.En Ltd. (www.cenh2go.com).

It is a well known fact that hydrogen is one of the most promising energy sources of the future. But until now the major problem which prevents its use in broad fields of our daily life is the storage of hydrogen in reasonable quantities. BAM is currently looking into hydrogen storage in glass capillaries. Using quartz glass capillaries which can be filled with hydrogen up to pressures of 1200 bar it is possible to store the gas repeatable in light weight storage systems.

Quartz glass has a three times higher tensile strength than steel at three times lower density. In preliminary tests a gravimetrical storage capacity of 33 % at a comparable low storage pressure of only 400 bar was achieved. With a volumetric capacity of 28 % the target for the year 2010 announced by the US Department of Energy was already achieved without any changes to the capillaries regarding the material or wall thickness. Systematic test series have been started in BAM and it is to expect that the DOE's 2015 target will be achieved in the near future.

Visit of Joschka Fischer and the Israeli delegation

Later on such storage systems can be produced in every size and can therefore be used like batteries for many applications e.g. electronic devices or cars. The rich potential of such a storage system was shown with the first prototype.

During his visit Mr. Fischer was deeply impressed with the project.

Contact:
Dr. Kai Holtappels
Division II.1 Gases, Gas Plants, Working group Safety Related Properties of Gases
Phone: +49 30 8104-3436, email: kai.holtappels@bam.de

Engineering materials contribute a key function for a reliable power supply. One of BAM’s prime tasks is the characterisation and assessment of the safety of components and structures made of them.

At the 2009 Hanover Fair BAM will present the results of interdisciplinary work from the Offshore Wind Power Facilities (OWPF). This ranges from the investigation of safe foundations for the OWPF, through building dynamics, up to the technical optimisation of building components. The characterisation of composite materials for the rotor blades and on-line monitoring of the entire facilities are also included. BAM shows how it co-operates with the project partners and passes on the research and development results as licenses.

We invite you to visit us at the Hanover Fair in Hall 2, Booth A45.
Order your long-term ticket here, the first 500 visitors get their tickets free of charge.

Information:
Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Lexow
Research Coordination, Marketing
Phone: +49 30 8104-1004, email: presse@bam.de

• BAM Dissertation Series, Volume 41
  Dipl.-Ing. Boris Gräfe
  Air-coupled ultrasound method for concrete construction units (Luftgekoppeltes Ultraschallecho-Verfahren für Betonbauteile - only in German)
  (Full text, PDF, 4.5 MB, Abstract, PDF)
  ISBN 978-3-9812354-4-9
  
  Contact:
  Dr. Martin Krause
  Division VIII.2 Non-destructive Damage Assessment and Environmental Measurement Methods, Working group Acoustic Methods for Testing Building Structures
  Phone: +49 30 8104-1442, email: martin.krause@bam.de
  
  
• Official Gazette (Amts- und Mitteilungsblatt - only in German), Volume 39, Issue 1/2009 (PDF, 4 MB)
  ISSN 0340-7551
  
  Contact:
  BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing
  Bibliography and Information
  Martina Scheil
  Phone: +49 30 8104-2039, email: martina.scheil@bam.de