Austrian Standards Research Articles

Hazard Assessment of Debris Flow: A Case Study of the Huiyazi Debris Flow

The Bailong River Basin is situated at the northeastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the western transition zone of the Loess Plateau, characterized by steep terrain and heavy rainfall. This area experiences frequent occurrences of debris flows, posing serious threats to towns and construction projects. Focusing on the Huaiyazigou debris flow in the Bailong River Basin, numerical simulations of debris flow processes were conducted using Digital Surface Model (DSM) data with a resolution of 5 m × 5 m for various recurrence periods. The simulation results indicate that the debris flow develops rapidly along the gully after formation, decelerating and beginning to deposit upon reaching the cement plant area near the mouth of the gully, eventually merging into the Bailong River. The primary destructive modes of debris flow disasters encompass impact and burial. When encountering buildings, their flow characteristics manifest as deposition and diversion. A debris flow hazard classification model, based on intensity and recurrence periods, was established according to Swiss and Austrian standards, dividing the hazard into low, medium, and high levels. This method generated a debris flow hazard zone map, offering guidance for risk prevention and monitoring. This research demonstrates that using high-precision Digital Surface Models (DSM) can accurately represent the digital information of debris flow gully terrains and buildings. During the simulation process, it realistically reflects the characteristics of the debris flow movement, allowing for the more precise delineation of hazard zones.

The emergence of the Medical University of Vienna 20years ago.

At the beginning of the 2000s the Austrian public universities were characterized by staffing rigidities, little competitive research, outdated study curricula and free access to all fields of study, the latter combined with high dropout rates and long study durations. As acountermeasure the universities were granted full legal capacity. For new employees the status of civil servants was herewith cancelled and, being now subject to the Employment Act, tenured employments for anyone who wanted to stay at the university were no longer possible. Medical faculties always had special provisions which would be difficult to reconcile with the full legal capacity of the universities: (i)the requirements of the hospitals affiliated to universities for research and teaching in addition to patient care had to be reimbursed to the Austrian federal states maintaining the hospitals, (ii)the physicians of university-affiliated hospitals were largely employed by the respective university and (iii)to ensure financing of clinical research and teaching at the hospital, the medical faculties received abudget separated from the rest of the university. As it was neither politically possible nor foreseeable that universities would be able to form asubcorporation with the affiliated hospital (integration model) or at least aclose cooperation with the hospital if that has legal capacity perse (cooperation model), the necessary budgetary sovereignty of the medical faculties could only be guaranteed by their transition to medical universities. Nonetheless, reservations about this spin-off of medicine were enormous, but quickly fell silent, as the newly established medical universities maintained close cooperations with their parent as well as other universities and achieved, for Austrian standards, favorable positions in international rankings.

Distortion – Induced Fatigue Failure at Main Girders of a Railway Bridge – Strain Measurements in Service and Analyses Based on Fracture Mechanics

AbstractAt the main girders of a three span continuous plate girder railway bridge, built in the 1970s, through‐thickness cracks were detected in the web, at the location of the transverse stiffener to main girder connections. Based on former Austrian standards for steelwork, the transverse stiffeners are not welded to the main girder flanges in order to increase their fatigue resistance. Instead, fitting pieces between the stiffeners and the bottom flanges were used.Within the paper the geometry and the location of the cracks are presented. For the global stresses, due to moments and shear forces, numerical simulations of the train passages were done. Based on these global stresses only, the fatigue damage for the main girders was evaluated at each position of a transverse stiffener connection. Since there was no significant agreement between the distribution of the global fatigue damage along the main girder and the crack positions, the out‐of‐plane distortion in the web gap region was expected as the obvious cause for the cracks.To verify the complex local stress field in the web gap region (interaction of global and local stresses), comprehensive strain measurements were done during service. The relevant results, including passages of slow and fast individual locomotives, passenger and freight trains, are presented and compared.Finally, based on the measured stress range spectra the further crack growth behavior was analyzed and the residual fatigue life was predicted using a linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach where also the mixed‐mode conditions at the crack tips were considered.

Immobilization of Zn and Cu in Conditions of Reduced C/N Ratio during Sewage Sludge Composting Process

In this paper we present results of research on the transformation of chemical forms of two elements (Cu, Zn) that occurred at the highest concentration in sewage sludge being processed in a composting process. The factor that had impact on the direction of the observed transformation was the amount of straw added to the mix with sewage sludge at the batch preparation stage including elimination of an additional source of organic carbon (straw). The analysis of contents of Cu and Zn chemical forms was performed applying Tessiere’s methodology. It was ascertained that reduction of supplementation has positive impact on the allocation of tested elements in organic (IV) and residual (V) fractions with a simultaneous decrease of heavy metals mobile forms share in bioavailable fractions, mostly ion exchangeable (I) and carbonate (II). Using an artificial neural network (ANN), a tool was developed to classify composts based on Austrian standards taking into account only I ÷ IV fractions treated as a labile, potentially bioavailable, part of heavy metals bound in various chemical forms in compost. The independent variables that were predictors in the ANN model were the composting time, C/N, and total content of the given element (total Cu, Zn). The sensitivity coefficients for three applied predictors varied around 1, which proves their significant impact on the final result. Correctness of the predictions of the generated network featuring an MLP 3-5-3 structure for the test set was 100%.

A standardized method to measure the longitudinal UV emittance of low-pressure-lamps in dependence of water temperature

Abstract The high level of acceptance of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for water disinfection in the past decade is due to the development of quality standards, especially for drinking water disinfection in Europe (Austrian Standards Institute, German Standards Institute). The central parts of a UV-disinfection device are the UV lamps. Despite their importance, their characterisation and quality assurance is far from being a matter of course and had not been regulated so far. This holds especially with regard to their temperature behaviour. The UV radiation (UVR) emittance of Mercury-Low-Pressure- and Amalgam-Low-Pressure-lamps (LP-lamps) depends on temperature. Each lamp type has its own optimal temperature where UVR emittance is highest. At lower or higher temperatures, UVR emittance is reduced. Additionally LP-lamps do not emit homogeneously along their length and this emission profile can change with temperature. In this paper, we present a standardized method to measure the UVR emittance of LP-lamps along the length in water in dependence of water temperature. This method has been included in the updated Austrian standard ÖNORM M 5873-1 (2020) and in the new release DIN 19294-1 (2020). With this method, the UVR emittance of LP-lamps can be characterized and different types of lamps can be compared.

Visual communication design

Abstract Having graduated in architecture at the University of Technology Wien [Vienna], I subsequently engaged in post-graduate studies at The Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning / University College London. Corporate design and signage design attracted my attention. Back home a major bank and Vienna airport (VIE), among others, were the first clients of my company. As chairman of Committee 133 “Public information symbols” of “Austrian Standards”, I was responsible for the elaboration of several theme specific national and international standards. In 1993 I founded the IIID International Institute for Information Design. Several r&d projects within the frame of the 6th and 7th European Union Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development were carried out. However, due to the required but denied support from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research, the founding of an interdisciplinary institute, affiliated to the United Nations University (UNU), did not materialize. No chance either to establish “Visual Communication Design” at a local university. Until now the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication of The University of Reading (UK) seems to be the only theme specific institution on tertiary university level in Europe. Challenges nowadays range from legible medical package inserts to a much required unified system for the European Union highway signs.

Praxisnah, theoriegeleitet und kritisch-reflexiv: Der Schwerpunkt „Medienbildung und Informatische Grundbildung“ des Lehramtstudiums Primarstufe der Pädagogischen Hochschule Wien

Nina Grunberger analyzes and presents the focus on Media and Informatic Basic Education of the teacher training program Primary School of the Vienna University of and shows along the distinction of will, skill and tools a very concrete terminology of media literacy broken down to Austrian standards, with the media education very much can be worked well. She recapitulates the state of discussion in Austria and Germany on several levels.

Energy flexibility of domestic thermal loads – a building typology approach of the residential building stock in Austria

ABSTRACTDue to a high share of fluctuating renewables in the energy system and many grid-connected heating systems, Austria is facing a growing problem of peak loads in electric and thermal grids [E-Control Austria (2015). Market Report – National Report to the European Commission, Retrieved from https://www.econtrol.at/documents/20903/443907/EC_Marktbericht15_ENGL.pdf/e22b1ce5-a8c9-44bf-a701-0a73af678735]. Based on the research done in the framework of EBC Annex 67 Energy Flexible Buildings [Jensen, S. (2015). IEA EBC Annex 67 Energy Flexible Buildings – Annex Text. www.annex67.org], theoretical and practical considerations about the potential contributions of domestic heat loads to energy flexibility are drawn for building typologies in Austria TABULA. (2009–2012). Typology approach for building stock energy assessment/IEE EPISCOPE Project. Retrieved from http://www.episcope.eu/ieeproject/tabula/]. In order to explore the potential of energy flexibility of residential buildings that can be used without jeopardizing building comfort, various building models have been simulated in IDA ICE. Connections between energy flexibility related to the building’s technical equipment, its construction period, physical characteristics, climate and user comfort are analysed. The evaluation shows which individual technologies and parametric optimizations are recommended for load management. The results show that in buildings built according to Austrian standards after 1980 at least 50% of domestic heating peak loads can be shifted to off-peak periods.

Hazard assessment of debris flows in the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area, South West China

The Longxi river basin with the city of Dujiangyan, in the Sichuan province of South West China, belongs to the seismic area of the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Lots of loose co-seismic materials were present on the slopes, which in later years served as source material for rainfall-induced debris flows. A total of 12 debris flows, were triggered by heavy rainfall on August 13, 2010 in the study area. The FLO-2D numerical analysis software was adopted to simulate debris flows intensity, including movement velocities and maximum flow depths. A comparison of the measured fan spreading with the simulation results, the evaluation parameter Ω was used to verify accuracy of simulation, the results show Ω values ranging between 1.37 and 1.65 indicating relative good simulation results. This study also estimated the flood hydrograph for various recurrence intervals (20, 100, and 200 years, respectively) to perform scenario simulations of debris flows, and followed Swiss and Austrian standards to establish a debris flow hazard classification model on the basis of a combination of the debris flow intensity and the recurrence period. This study distinguishes three hazard classes: low, medium, and high. This proposed approach generated a debris flow hazard distribution map that could be used for disaster prevention in the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area, South West China.

Sex estimation using the femur of Austrians born in the 19th to the middle of the 20th century.

Sex estimation of human bones or bone fragments is crucial for the identification process of unknown bodies. Regional differences and secular changes lead to ever changing osteometric standards for different populations. This study provides femoral dimensions of Austrians born between 1822 and 1949 and evaluates the discriminating power of sex estimation functions developed by discriminant analyses. Depending on the state of preservation up to 127 femora of adult individuals (72 females and 55 males) were measured. The following means and standard variations were obtained: Maximum length (male: 449.7 ± 16.7mm, female: 413.9 ± 16.3mm), head circumference (148.5 ± 7.8 vs. 133.8 ± 6.4mm), vertical (46.9 ± 2.4 vs. 41.9 ± 2.1mm), transverse (46.3 ± 2.4 vs. 41.5 ± 2.0mm), and maximum head diameter (47.0 ± 2.3 vs. 42.0 ± 2.1mm), as well as sagittal (28.3 ± 2.2 vs. 26.2 ± 1.8mm), transverse (27.9 ± 2.5 vs. 26.1 ± 2.0mm), and maximum midshaft diameter (29.2 ± 2.1 vs. 27.3 ± 1.6mm) and finally condylar width (79.6 ± 4.6 vs. 71.9 ± 3.8mm). The (cross-validated) discriminant analysis for single measurements showed that the best classification is obtained using femur head dimensions, with correct sexing rates between 84.8 % for the circumference and 87.8 % for the maximum diameter. The maximum length achieved a similarly high rate of correct classification with 86.5 %, whereas the rate for the condylar width (80.6 %) was somewhat lower. The potential of midshaft dimensions for sex estimation was substantially weaker (62.3 to 70.8 %). With regard to a multivariate analysis, a stepwise selection procedure favoured a combination of maximum length and vertical head diameter with 90.1 % being correctly classified. A combination of maximum length, maximum head diameter and maximum midshaft diameter resulted in an even higher rate of 91.5 %. These Austrian standards may provide additional possibilities for sexing unknown bodies and skeletal remains born in the 19(th) to the middle of the 20(th) century.

INFOTERM – Information Disseminating Centre for Terminology

International Information Centre for Terminology (INFOTERM) was founded in 1971 by contract with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Austrian Standards Institute (ASI). In 1996, INFOTERM was reorganized and established as an independent non-profit organization. INFOTERM promotes and supports the cooperation of existing and the establishment of new terminology centres and networks with the general aim to improve domain communication, knowledge transfer and provision of content with view to facilitating the participation of all in the global multilingual knowledge society. The article presents not only a history of the foundation of INFOTERM, the tasks and activities of INFOTERM and its members, which are international, regional or national terminology institutions, organizations and networks, as well as specialized public or semi-public or other non-profit institutions engaged in terminological activities, but also analyses “Guidelines for terminology policies”, preparied by INFOTERM, and cooperation between INFOTERM and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language.In conclusion, the experience and sharing expertise of INFOTERM regarding harmonized methods and guidelines for terminology management and policies, the management of terminology centres, terminology standardization, the use of terminological data, methods and tools in all applications etc are very important for all countries and language communities especially for countries and language communities with less mature terminologies. The Institute of the Lithuanian Language as a member of INFOTERM has a possibility to get information on terminology research and training, terminology publications, terminological events and activities all over the world.

0034 Occupational exposure to mineral dust: Effects of on lung function in a nine-year study

ObjectivesOccupational mineral dust exposure is a well-known risk factor for numerous respiratory and systemic diseases. Stone work with high quartz exposure in quarries and in consecutive industries is a common...

A comparison of projected and actual energy performance of buildings after thermal retrofit measures

This article addresses the discrepancies between projected and actual energy performance of thermally retrofitted buildings. Toward this end, we use detailed data and observations pertaining to seven residential buildings in Austria that were thermally retrofitted recently. These include five multifamily residences in Vorarlberg, the upper level of a duplex house in Lower-Austria, and a residential complex for the elderly in Styria. During the heating season 2009–2010 (1st October–30th April), indoor temperature and relative humidity levels were measured and logged in these buildings. For each building, the actual energy use during this period was derived based on bills for gas and electrical power. Additionally, we obtained and examined existing energy calculations (energy certificates) for these buildings. In six cases out of seven, we found a large discrepancy between projected and actual space heating demand. To explore possible reasons for this discrepancy, we generated for each of the buildings an energy certificate and performed detailed thermal simulations. Thereby, we took the main input parameters for energy calculations into consideration (air change rate, indoor air temperature, outside air temperature, and internal gains). If we use standard (default) values as suggested by Austrian standards for these parameters, the above-mentioned discrepancy cannot be explained. Measurements in the buildings, as well as interviews with the building’s inhabitants implied that standard-based input data assumptions were not reliable. A subsequent multi-factor study suggested that specifically the assumptions regarding air change rates might be responsible for the large deviations of the calculated values from the actual heating demand.

Dust Is in the Air: Effects of Occupational Exposure to Mineral Dust on Lung Function in a 9-year Study

Occupational mineral dust exposure is a well-known risk factor for numerous respiratory and systemic diseases. The aim of the present longitudinal study was to assess the influence of work-associated dust exposure on spirometric results. Furthermore, the impact of implementation of stricter limit values for occupational contact with quartz dust on lung function was evaluated. Anthropometric data (age, gender, BMI), smoking behavior, and lung function parameters (FVC, FEV1, MEF50) from 7,204 medical examinations of 3,229 female and male workers during the years 2002-2010 were examined following Austrian standards for occupational medicine and the guidelines of the European Respiratory Society. Analysis of data was performed using models of multiple linear regression. Lung function decrease over time was associated with smoking habits and duration of occupational dust exposure. Specifically, occupational quartz exposure negatively influenced the annual lung function parameters (FVC, -6.68ml; FEV1, -6.71ml; and MEF50, -16.15ml/s, all p<0.001). Thus, an overadditive effect of smoking and work-related contact with quartz was found regarding decline in MEF50 (p<0.05). Implementation of stricter occupational limit values for dust exposure resulted in a highly significant deceleration of the annual decrease in respiratory function (p=0.001). Individual smoking habits and occupational dust exposure had a negative impact on lung function. To reduce the risk of loss of respiratory capacity, smoking cessation is especially recommended to workers exposed to quartz dust. Moreover, stricter limit values could prevent chronic occupational damage to the respiratory system.

Large scale study on measurement of respiration activity (AT4) by Sapromat and OxiTop

In the run-up for amending the Austrian landfill ordinance, parameters were developed to assess the stability/reactivity of mechanically–biologically pretreated residual wastes. The Landfill Ordinance 2008 regulates limit values for Respiration Activity (=“Atmungsaktivität”) RA4 (AT4)<7mgO2*(g dry matter (DM))−1, Gas Generation Sum GS21<20Nl*kgDM−1 and alternatively Gas Evolution (=“Gasbildung”) GB21<20Nl*kgDM−1. Methods for analysing these parameters were established by the Austrian Standards Institute (2004). As laboratory practice shows, these methods also are used for the assessment of other wastes (sewage sludge, commercial waste, material from abandoned sites, biowaste compost). For measurement of respiration activity in Austria mainly two methods are used: the Sapromat®-method and the OxiTop®-method. Whether respectively to what extent these two methods give same results, is discussed in this paper.Since 2009 at ABF-BOKU 169 respiration activity tests of samples taken from different stages of MBT – as well as biowaste composting processes, materials from landfills as well as abandoned sites and residues from anaerobic treatment plants were analysed parallel by Sapromat® and OxiTop®. The results manifest very strong correlation between the Sapromat® and OxiTop® method. The correlation coefficient is 0.993. As a very clear tendency OxiTop® gives lower amounts than Sapromat®. In average the lower values of OxiTop® are around 88%.

Richtlinien der Tabakentwöhnung Stand 2010

In 2005, the ÖGP (Austrian Society of Pneumology) worked out the first standards of smoking cessation. With many new therapies, it is timely to update the guidelines of smoking cessation. This time all relevant professionals who are active in smoking cessation in Austria worked together in a big consensus process, not only the diverse medical professionals such as internists, pneumologists, or gynecologists but also psychotherapists, psychologists, and nurses. The Austrian standards for smoking cessation is closely related to the Update for smoking cessation 2008 of the USDHHS (US Department of Health and Human Services) and the Cochrane Reports. Ten main recommendations for smoking cessation have been worked out. The guidelines for smoking cessation was reviewed by three international reviewers.

Lungenfunktion staubexponierter Arbeitnehmer

Workers exposed to dust have to undergo medical check-ups every 2 years including lung function testing. Here we report on the routine lung function data (FVC, FEV1, MEF50) of 994 workers from Austria. Lung function data were compared to the Austrian standard values that are based on routine testing of healthy volunteers. For all parameters the workers' values were significantly poorer than the Austrian standards (FVC: -0.4 l; FEV1: -0.5 l; MEF50: -0.9 l/s). The difference from the standard increased with increasing duration of the dust exposure. This increase was significant for the total group for MEF50 even after controlling for smoking. About half of the workers were exposed to quartz dust and had poorer lung function values (p = 0.02 for MEF50) than the other workers. Smoking significantly reduced all 3 lung function parameters with a significant interaction between strong smoking (compared to non-smokers) and quartz exposure (compared to all other exposures). Current Austrian limit values are not protective against chronic damage of the respiratory system. The combined impact of cigarette smoke and high concentration of mineral dust (quartz) is especially dangerous.

Determination of MBT-waste reactivity – An infrared spectroscopic and multivariate statistical approach to identify and avoid failures of biological tests

The Austrian Landfill Ordinance provides limit values regarding the reactivity for the disposal of mechanically biologically treated (MBT) waste before landfilling. The potential reactivity determined by biological tests according to the Austrian Standards (OENORM S 2027 1-2) can be underestimated if the microbial community is affected by environmental conditions. New analytical tools have been developed as an alternative to error-prone and time-consuming biological tests. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in association with Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R) was used to predict the reactivity parameters respiration activity (RA 4) and gas generation sum (GS 21) as well as to detect errors resulting from inhibiting effects on biological tests. For this purpose 250 MBT-waste samples from different Austrian MBT-plants were investigated using FT-IR spectroscopy in the mid (MIR) and near infrared (NIR) area and biological tests. Spectroscopic results were compared with those from biological tests. Arising problems caused by interferences of RA 4 and GS 21 are discussed. It is shown that FT-IR spectroscopy predicts RA 4 and GS 21 reliably to assess stability of MBT-waste materials and to detect errors.

The first two years of full scale operation of the two-stage Main Wastewater Treatment Plant of Vienna

The Main Wastewater Treatment Plant of Vienna had to be extended to guarantee sufficient nitrogen removal. After intensive evaluation studies a two-stage activated sludge system was chosen for the plant-extension. Due to the very small specific reactor tank volume of two-stage treatment plants in comparison with low loaded single-stage plants internal cycles had to be applied to ensure sufficient nitrogen removal. Starting in the year 2000 the plant extension was finished by the beginning of 2005 and the extended plant went into operation in spring. The Austrian effluent standards had to be fulfilled by December 2005. This paper presents a description of the plant layout and gives an overview of the operating results of the first two years of full scale operation. Mass balances were used to evaluate the pathways of nitrogen removal. The results confirmed the expected flexibility of the chosen concept; nitrogen elimination did not decrease although the effluent recirculation that has been implemented to ensure sufficient nitrogen removal efficiency especially during winter had been reduced markedly due to energy reasons. The treatment efficiency that was observed at pilot plant investigations was clearly exceeded.

A two-stage subsurface vertical flow constructed wetland for high-rate nitrogen removal

By using a two-stage constructed wetland (CW) system operated with an organic load of 40 gCOD.m(-2).d(-1) (2 m2 per person equivalent) average nitrogen removal efficiencies of about 50% and average nitrogen elimination rates of 980 g N.m(-2).yr(-1) could be achieved. Two vertical flow beds with intermittent loading have been operated in series. The first stage uses sand with a grain size of 2-3.2 mm for the main layer and has a drainage layer that is impounded; the second stage sand with a grain size of 0.06-4 mm and a drainage layer with free drainage. The high nitrogen removal can be achieved without recirculation thus it is possible to operate the two-stage CW system without energy input. The paper shows performance data for the two-stage CW system regarding removal of organic matter and nitrogen for the two year operating period of the system. Additionally, its efficiency is compared with the efficiency of a single-stage vertical flow CW system designed and operated according to the Austrian design standards with 4 m2 per person equivalent. The comparison shows that a higher effluent quality could be reached with the two-stage system although the two-stage CW system is operated with the double organic load or half the specific surface area requirement, respectively. Another advantage is that the specific investment costs of the two-stage CW system amount to 1,200 EUR per person (without mechanical pre-treatment) and are only about 60% of the specific investment costs of the singe-stage CW system.