Norbert Gebbeken

Norbert Gebbeken (born April 16, 1954 in Meppen , Lower Saxony ) is a German civil engineer. Since 1995 he has been professor of structural engineering and head of the laboratory for engineering informatics at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich , founder and spokesman of the research center RISK - Risk, Infrastructure, Security and Conflict, founder and president of the International Association of Protective Structures and president of the Bavarian Chamber of Engineers Construction. Gebbeken's research interests are in the safety of structures against extraordinary effects such as earthquakes or explosions .

Life

After completing his technical college entrance qualification in Rheine in 1972 , Gebbeken completed a degree in civil engineering from 1972 to 1975 at the Münster University of Applied Sciences , which he passed with distinction. After working as a freelance structural engineer and doing military service, he studied civil engineering from 1977 to 1983 at the University of Hanover , specializing in structural engineering and applied numerical mechanics. From 1983 to 1988 he was a research assistant at the Institute for Statics at the University of Hanover. In 1988 he became Dr.-Ing. PhD from the University of Hanover with summa cum laude . From 1988 to 1990 he was Academic Councilor at the Institute for Statics, was appointed Academic Senior Councilor in 1990 and Academic Director in 1991.

In 1992 and 1993, he spent several months as a visiting scholar at the Texas Institute for Computational Mechanics at the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas in Austin.

In 1995 the habilitation and the Venia Legendi in the field of statics at the University of Hanover followed. Since September 1995 he has been C4 professor for structural engineering at the Institute for Mechanics and Statics at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich . He did not accept two other calls to the University of Leipzig and the ETH Zurich.

From 2001 to 2002 he was dean , in 2003 a member of the academic senate of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich and a member of the administrative board. From 2003 to 2004 he was Vice President of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich.

In 2004 he initiated the recurring workshop BAU-Protect (Buildings And Utilities Protection), which has since taken place every two years together with a Fraunhofer Institute . He is co-founder and member of the NATO Team of Experts for Bridge Assessment, in 2009 co-founder and co-editor of the "International Journal of Protective Structures", since 2010 President of the International Association of Protective Structures and Vice President of the German Institute for Testing and Monitoring (DPÜ) in Berlin. In 2011 the research center RISK (Risk, Infrastructure, Security and Conflict) was founded at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, of which he is spokesman. Since 2015 he has been chairman of the research association " Structural Statics-Baupraxis " and since 2016 president of the Bavarian Chamber of Engineers.

Gebbeken is a scientific reviewer u. a. active for the DFG, for the European Commission , for special research programs of the federal states and for international science funding programs. He advised the Federal Ministries for Defense, Building, Environment, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs as well as affiliated federal offices in matters of structural protection. In the Association of Bavarian Business, he is a member of the Education and Innovation Committee. In addition, he is the Chamber's university representative.

He is curator at the Ernst Mach Institute of the Fraunhofer Society , at the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Munich in the Pinakothek der Moderne and at the Messe-Bau Messe München.

Gebbeken has worked on around 120 research projects for the protection of structural infrastructures since 1995. He is a consulting engineer, test engineer for structural engineering and test expert for stability as well as co-owner of the engineering companies AJG and MJG based in Munich. He has designed structures against earthquakes, explosions and impacts nationally and internationally and has prepared reports.

Gebbeken is married and has three children.

research

Gebbeken is particularly concerned with the security of structural infrastructure against extraordinary effects such as natural hazards (earthquakes, floods, flash floods, rock falls), technical accidents (car and ship impact, explosions, deflagration, fragmentation) and terrorist attacks (explosion, dirty bombs, vehicles). Research ranges from the development and investigation of new materials, through explosion-proof panes and facades, to safe buildings and structural infrastructures. Since 2011 his research group "BauProtect" has been working increasingly on holistic concepts for safe urban spaces. This includes the study and implementation of smart street furniture and smart landscaping, e.g. B. with the help of explosion protection plants. Analytical and numerical methods (digital modeling) as well as experiments in the laboratory and in the field are used in research. Risk research and risk management are further research areas. Since the RISK research center was founded, the technical aspects of structural protection in a social context have been treated in a multidisciplinary manner. It goes z. For example, questions such as "How much security can society tolerate?"

Teaching

In addition to teaching the basics of structural engineering and dynamics, the focus of his teaching is on the theories, simulation and construction methods that are required to dimension structural infrastructures against the effects of high and maximum speed (explosion, shelling). This range of courses is unique in Europe. Gebbeken is also a lecturer at the Bavarian Engineering Academy.

Awards

In 1979 Gebbeken received a scholarship for highly gifted students from the German National Academic Foundation.

In 2011 Gebbeken received the Bavarian State Award for special services to the BRK water rescue service in Bavaria (training of construction advisors for disaster control). In 2014 he was awarded the Ernst Mach Medal by the Fraunhofer Ernst Mach Institute for his services to the Ernst Mach Institute and for spreading Mach's ideals.

Publications

• Why do major projects fail? Deutsches Ingenieureblatt DIB 10/2017, ISSN 0946-2422.
• Urban safety in the event of explosions - protection through vegetation . Berlin Verlag Ernst & Sohn: Bautechnik 94 (2017) Issue 5, 295-306, ISSN 0932-8351.
• With M. Romano and I. Ehrlich: Structural mechanics material damping in fabric reinforced composites: A review. Archives of Materials Science and Engineering (ACMSE) 2017, ISSN 1897-2764.
• With E. Pfeiffer, I. Videkhina and L. Rüdiger: Development of a web-based platform for security analyzes and protection of structural infrastructures in the event of terrorist threats . Proceedings, New Technologies 2017.
• With P. Warnstedt and L. Rüdiger: Ring Mesh with Water Curtain for the Protection of Urban Areas . International Journal of Protective Structures 2017, Woodhead Publishing, ISSN 2041-4196.

Editing

• Reports from structural engineering, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, ISSN 1431-5122.
• Reports from the Chair of Structural Analysis, University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, ISSN 1435-3555.
• International Journal of Protective Structures. Multi-Science Publishing Co Ltd. UK, ISSN 2041-4196.

Web links

• Literature by and about Norbert Gebbeken in the catalog of the German National Library
• Norbert Gebbeken on the website of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich