Earthwork Stability - Modelling and Simulation of geotechnical parameters

Transport networks act as the conduit for energy and urban systems as the pipes and cables are often placed below roads and alongside rail. While the confluence of transportation, energy and urban systems has critical benefits for maintenance it also has adverse consequences as hazards affecting one system can negatively affect the others. A resilient system is one which integrates these vital systems yet monitors the forces affecting the network which act as the proxy for hazards to all systems. A monitoring and alerting system will identify potential and actual ‘failure’ events so asset managers can take proactive action to mitigate a potential event, or to react quickly and precisely to detected failures. The remote monitoring and detection of subtle landscape changes via sensor data and satellite imaging represents a significant potential improvement over traditional techniques, (e.g. walkovers) and would make the urban infrastructure assets more resilient, minimising costly future interventions. Monitoring includes both surface and buried sensors.

The proposed project critically assesses the importance of knowing geotechnical information such as water content, water pressure and temperature of the soil to assess the stability of the earthwork. This will be achieved through simulation and FE modelling. Particular focus will be on the varaibility of tehse parameters and the sapcial density in which they need to be known in order to aid the asset management of the earthwork and help asset owners with their proactive decision making.

Therefore, if you are interested working across disciplines (e.g. geotechnical engineering, civill engineering, computer science), are highly motivated, adaptable and a good communicator, this might be a PhD project for you.

Interested applicants should contact the project supervisor, Dr Nicole Metje, for an informal discussion.

To find out more about studying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham see http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/applicant-information.aspx.