Sustainability and Resilience Engineering (SuRE)

Geotechnical engineering

Geotechnical Engineering is a diverse branch of civil engineering which involves the application of the disciplines of soil and rock mechanics to the design of foundations, tunnels, dams, cuttings and slopes. Unlike conventional civil engineering materials, such as concrete, timber and steel, geotechnical materials are highly complex, consisting of various portions of solid (soil or rock), gas (usually air) and fluid (usually water). The interaction between these three elements, and their individual characteristics, controls their engineering behaviour. This complex behaviour can be studied through element tests undertaken in the laboratory, in situ testing, reduced scale modelling and numerical analysis.

The main areas of geotechnical engineering research within SuRE focus on soil-structure interaction, and novel foundations systems for wind turbines. Soil mechanics research includes accelerated physical modelling of consolidation, contamination and flow processes, soil reinforcement and soil stabilisation, the development of soil strength, and index testing by quasi-static penetration. The group also carries out research in various fields of rock mechanics, such as modelling the behaviour of homogeneous and jointed rock masses, laboratory evaluation of the engineering behaviour of soft rock, and the behaviour of rock slopes in permafrost areas.

Testing rock stability under permafrost conditions

Coastal, estuarine and riverine engineering

Coastal, estuarine and riverine environments present a major challenge for society in terms of flood risks and erosional problems. However, they also provide opportunities that can be used as a sustainable principle element in project design. It is of critical importance that we improve our understanding of the physical processes operating in these environments, whilst exploring new methods and technologies to make use of natural resources in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Research in coastal, estuarine and riverine environments within SuRE includes computational and physical modelling of wave processes, modelling and field study of cohesive and non-cohesive sediment transport, the effects of climate change on inter-tidal environments, natural flood management intervention, and the influence of sediment bacteria in the microbial induced corrosion.

Wave flume equipment

Advanced construction materials

Construction materials play a vital part in our everyday lives. One of the most commonly used is concrete, with an annual global production of around 25 billion tonnes. Concrete offers major advantages due to its mechanical properties, but has an increasingly problematic down-side as its production emits extremely high levels of CO₂. Hence, there is an urgent need for novel ‘environmental-friendly’ construction materials with superior strength and improved durability.

Research in advanced construction materials within SuRE includes the development, testing and modelling of innovative construction materials. The main areas of research include the use of natural fibres for concrete and soil reinforcement, the development of novel Steel Fibre and Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced concrete, cement-free geopolymer concrete, and cementitious composites with nanoparticles. The group carries out experimental work to evaluate physical and mechanical characteristics under various loading conditions. Advanced numerical simulations are also being undertaken using specialised finite element packages, with the resulting models validated using experimental data. Work is also carried out on the development of analytical models for the simulation of the cyclic behaviour of cement based materials, via new methodologies such as the Preisach formalism.

Geoploymer ‘cement-free’ concrete can be produced using waste materials (such as Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and glass cullet. Steel fibres can also be added in order to enhance the concrete’s mechanical properties. The addition of steel fibres reduces concrete shrinkage and prevents or delays micro or macro crack evolution, thus preventing concrete deterioration.

Resilient structures and earthquake engineering

Unpredictable natural and anthropogenic hazards such as earthquakes, windstorms, snowstorms and explosions can result in loss of human life and render existing buildings and facilities inhabitable or non-operational. The vulnerability of engineered and non-engineered structures can be studied systematically in order to minimise the effects of such hazards. Analytic and experimental research is conducted within SuRE on the design and redesign of Civil Engineering structures under static and dynamic actions. The main lines of research include seismic redesign (repair or upgrading) of existing structures using innovative materials, passive control of structures using either tuned mass dampers or hysteretic energy dissipation devices, modelling earthquake ground motion using random vibration theory or by the scaling of natural accelerograms.

Figure (a) shows the finite element (FE) model and Figure (b) shows structural damage patterns

Smart infrastructure asset management

In most developed countries, increases in maintenance budgets provide clear evidence that ageing and deterioration of Infrastructure is a growing issue. Most high value assets, such as bridges, are exposed to an increase in load and use throughout their service lives, as well as severe and uncertain weather conditions.

Research within SuRE is providing insights into the deterioration of materials and structural systems, leading to the development of reliable deterioration models. Frameworks and methodologies are also being developed to incorporate the uncertainties associated with the estimation of current condition and performance, and to predict future impacts on structures. The goal is to enable asset managers to make informed decisions about maintenance management and prioritise improvement schemes.

Environmental chamber for accelerated corrosion testing

Research projects