Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre (NTEC)

Resilience

Defining materials, frameworks and technologies to design, construct and maintain transport infrastructure able to adapt to progressive change and extreme events.

 

Key Contacts

Materials and Technology

SMARTI ETN
  • Funder: EU H2020 - MSCA-ITN-2016 - Innovative Training Networks
  • Total value: € 3,990,59
  • Start to end date: 2017 - 2021

Summary:  The Sustainable Multi-functional Automated Resilient Transport Infrastructures European Training Network (SMARTI ETN), will bring together a stimulating platform where key stakeholders of the transport infrastructure sector will work alongside world-wide experts in smartening of systems (developers of high-tech sensors, advanced monitoring equipment, automated structures, etc.,) with direct support from the roads, railways and airports managers. 

NTEC Members:  Davide Lo Presti, Ana Jimenez Del Barco Carrion, Andrew Dawson, Gordon Airey, Luis Neves, Nick Thom, Alvaro Garcia and Tony Parry

Project Beneficaries: University of Nottingham, IFSTTAR, University of Palermo, University of Granada, EIFFAGE, GDG, AECOM and Dynatest

 
Whole-life Cost Assessment of Novel Material Railway Drainage Systems
  • Funder: EPSRC, Rail Standards & Strategy Board, UK Dept. for Transport
  • Total value: £591,597
  • Start to end date: 2015 - 2019

Summary:  Water plays a significant role in the degradation of railway infrastructure with high associated maintenance and repair costs. Climate change is predicted to result in more extreme weather and flash flood events. The railway drainage systems will therefore be put under severe strain. Much of the UK railway drainage infrastructure is old and in need of repair or replacement while traffic growth reduces the opportunities available to carry out maintenance. In light of these issues, this project focuses on providing novel and easily installed railway drainage solutions which make use of lightweight and cost-effective 'new materials'. Their use is investigated by full-scale, physical centrifuge and numerical modelling and some in-situ monitoring.

NTEC Members:  Andrew Dawson, Nick Thom, Ivan Campos Led by colleagues in the Nottingham Centre for Geomechanics

Project Beneficaries:  University of Nottingham, Rail Standards & Strategy Board, Network Rail, Aspen and AECOM

 

Existing and Future Infrastructure 

SMARTI ETN
  • Funder: EU H2020 - MSCA-ITN-2016 - Innovative Training Networks
  • Total value: € 3,990,59
  • Start to end date: 2017 - 2021

Summary:  The Sustainable Multi-functional Automated Resilient Transport Infrastructures European Training Network (SMARTI ETN), will bring together a stimulating platform where key stakeholders of the transport infrastructure sector will work alongside world-wide experts in smartening of systems (developers of high-tech sensors, advanced monitoring equipment, automated structures, etc.,) with direct support from the roads, railways and airports managers. 

NTEC Members:   Davide Lo Presti, Ana Jimenez Del Barco Carrion,  Andrew Dawson,  Gordon AireyLuis NevesNick ThomAlvaro Garcia and  Tony Parry

Project Beneficaries: University of Nottingham, IFSTTAR, University of Palermo, University of Granada, EIFFAGE, GDG, AECOM and Dynatest

 
Resilience of a Himalayan Road Network

Funder: EPSRC – Global Challenges Research Fund

Total value: £12,000

Start to end date: 2017 - 2018

Summary:  Due to its orography and recent history, Bhutan’s transportation network is extremely limited. Most road links don’t have alternatives. Almost all are very lengthy, tortuous and, consequentially, operate at low speeds (c25 km/hr on average). These roads are exposed to severe and frequent landslides and floods, caused both by extreme rain and earthquakes leading to frequent community isolation. The non-availability of a reliable and resilient road network is strongly implicated as a contributory cause of Bhutan’s low Human Development Index score. Therefore a small-scale scoping study was performed to describe the problems more specifically and to define candidate procedures capable of keeping roads open and achievable, to a basic performance level, by non-skilled local communities.

NTEC Members:  Andrew Dawson and Luis Neves

Project Beneficaries: University of Nottingham, Royal University of Bhutan, Construction development Corporation Ltd, Royal Bhutanese Government’s: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests Dept. of Roads of Ministry of Works and Human Settlement 

Key publications:  Dawson, A.R., Neves, L.A.C., Sarkar, R. & Dijkstra, T., 2018, “Bhutanese road and bridge resilience to floods and landslides – first suggestions for assessment and response”, Proc. 4th International Conf. Transport Infrastructure, Pretoria, South Africa.

 
 

NTEC

Faculty of Engineering
The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD



email:ntec@nottingham.ac.uk