Dr Colin Smith
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
Senior Lecturer

+44 114 222 5717
Full contact details
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
Room E106
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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My research focuses on the development of optimisation-based geotechnical analysis and design tools in order to make the best use of our resources and minimise environmental impact.
Dr Colin Smith
Colin Smith graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1987. He joined the Cambridge Soil Mechanics research group in the same year and completed a PhD in 1991.
Following two years as a research associate at Cambridge he joined the Department in 1992.
He is co-developer of the novel Discontinuity Layout Optimisation numerical method, which underpins many of the developments in his limit analysis and design optimisation work.
His experimental work has a strong basis in physical modelling, supported in particular by innovative digital imaging techniques.
His research at Sheffield has been funded by EPSRC, NERC and industry.
He is co-founder and director of University spin-out company LimitState Ltd, specialising in the development of novel ultimate limit state analysis and design software that rapidly analyses geotechnical constructions and predicts the conditions under which they would collapse.
The software is now in use by over 100 companies and ~240 Universities across the world.
Research Themes
- Research interests
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Colin's research aims to improve the design and efficiency of fundamental geotechnical structures, such as foundations, retaining walls, slopes/embankments and tunnels.
His work focuses on:
- Limit analysis and optimisation in geotechnics: providing tools for engineers to identify critical collapse mechanisms and associated margins of safety.
- Low-carbon geotechnical construction through numerical design optimisation and the application of low-impact construction techniques.
- Masonry arch bridge analysis, modelling and assessment.
- Identification methods providing new image based approaches for characterising soil properties.
- Publications
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Books
Journal articles
- Biopolymer stabilization/solidification of soils : a rapid, micro-macro, cross-disciplinary approach. Environmental Science & Technology.
- The importance of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity measurements for green roof detention modelling. Journal of Hydrology. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling orthogonal and oblique cutting via discontinuity layout optimization. Procedia CIRP, 82, 37-42. View this article in WRRO
- Internal fluctuations in green roof substrate moisture content during storm events: Monitored data and model simulations. Journal of Hydrology. View this article in WRRO
- Upper bound limit analysis of soils with a non-linear failure criterion. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Mechanical Properties of Freshly Amended Soils with Miscanthus Biochar. Soil Use and Management. View this article in WRRO
- Influence of railway loading on the performance of soil-filled masonry arch bridges. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering, 1-36. View this article in WRRO
- Combined rupture mechanisms in shallow foundations. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 55(6), 829-838. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 170(4), 133-134. View this article in WRRO
- Large-scale physical modelling of soil-filled masonry arch bridges. International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, 1-14. View this article in WRRO
- Limit analysis of reinforced embankments on soft soil. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 44(4), 504-514. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling rotational failure in confined geometries using DLO. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 168(4), 155-168. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling granular soil behaviour using a physics engine. Géotechnique Letters, 5(4), 243-249. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 168(3), 89-89.
- Non-associative limit analysis of the toppling-sliding failure of rock slopes. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 71, 1-11. View this article in WRRO
- Automatic yield-line analysis of slabs using discontinuity layout optimization. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 470(2168). View this article in WRRO
- Modelling discrete soil reinforcement in numerical limit analysis. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 50(7), 705-715. View this article in WRRO
- Application of discontinuity layout optimization to three-dimensional plasticity problems. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 469(2155). View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Influence of backfill on the capacity of masonry arch bridges. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Bridge Engineering, 165(3), 147-157. View this article in WRRO
- Theoretical basis of ultimate limit state design. Geotechnique Letters, 2(4-6), 205-208. View this article in WRRO
- Geosynthetic landfill cap stability: Comparison of limit equilibrium, computational limit analysis and finite element analyses. Geosynthetics International, 19(2), 133-146. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral Soil Resistance for On-bottom Pipeline Design on Clayey Seabed. HKIE Transactions Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, 19(4), 2-10.
- View this article in WRRO
- Pseudo-static limit analysis by discontinuity layout optimization: Application to seismic analysis of retaining walls. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 31(10), 1311-1323. View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Masonry arch analysis using discontinuity layout optimisation. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 163(3), 155-166.
- The ultimate uplift capacity of multi-plate strip anchors in undrained clay. Computers and Geotechnics, 37(4), 504-514.
- Application of discontinuity layout optimization to plane plasticity problems. Proceedings Royal Society A, 463(2086), 2461-2484. View this article in WRRO
- Load-carrying capacity of flooded masonry arch bridges. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Bridge Engineering, 159, 97-103.
- Influence of density inversion on thawing around a cylinder in a frozen saturated porous medium. Transport in Porous Media, 63(1), 223-237.
- Discussion of "Assessment of multispan masonry arch bridges. I: Simplified approach" by Antonio Brencich and Ugo de Francesco. Journal of Bridge Engineering, 11(2), 257-261.
- Non-equilibrium partitioning tracer transport in porous media: 2-D physical modelling and imaging using a partitioning fluorescent dye. Water Research, 39(20), 5099-5111.
- Complete limiting stress solutions for the bearing capacity of strip footings on a Mohr-Coulomb soil. Geotechnique, 55(8), 607-612. View this article in WRRO
- Dissolved oxygen imaging in a porous medium to investigate biodegradation in a plume with limited electron acceptor supply. Environmental Science & Technology, 37, 1905-1911.
- Physical modelling of solute transport in porous media: Evaluation of an imaging technique using UV excited fluorescent dye. Water Research, 36(7), 1843-1853.
- Evaluation of shredded tyre chips as sorption media for passive treatment walls. Engineering Geology, 60(1-4), 253-261.
- Optimized Design of Soil Reinforcement Layout. Géotechnique.
Chapters
- Use of Layout Optimization to Solve Large-Scale Limit Analysis and Design Problems, Direct Methods for Limit States in Structures and Materials (pp. 157-180). Springer Netherlands
- Application of computational limit analysis in ultimate limit state design In Arnold P, Fenton GA, Hicks MA, Schweckendiek T & Simpson B (Ed.), Modern Geotechnical Design Codes of Practice (pp. 195-213). IOS Press
- ‘The Creature Lurks Within?’ Restoring Acid Tar Lagoons, Sustainable Brownfield Regeneration (pp. 237-262). Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Conference proceedings papers
- Numerical study of the application of capillary barrier systems for prevention of rainfall-induced slope instabilities. E3S Web of Conferences, Vol. 195. Lisboa, Portugal (online), 19 October 2020 - 21 October 2020.
- TERRE project : interplay between unsaturated soil mechanics and low-carbon geotechnical engineering. E3S Web of Conferences, Vol. 195. Lisboa, Portugal (online), 19 October 2020 - 21 October 2020.
- Application of Computational Design Optimization in Geotechnical Engineering. Geo-Congress 2020
- Application of Computational Limit Analysis to LRFD Design. Geo-Congress 2020
- Limit Analysis of Masonry Arch Bridges Using Discontinuity Layout Optimization (pp 307-314)
- Modelling Masonry Arch Bridges Containing Internal Spandrel Walls (pp 315-322)
- Lower Bound Stress Fields in the Limit Analysis of Soil-Filled Masonry Arch Bridges (pp 323-330)
- View this article in WRRO
- Optimal design of reinforced slopes (pp 1377-1382) View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Ultimate uplift capacity of buried pipelines in undrained clay (pp 357-362)
- Squeezing bearing capacity and effects of increasing strength with depth (pp 1299-1304)
- Simulation of granular soil behaviour using physics engines (pp 163-168)
- Coupled two-component flow in deformable fractured porous media with application to modelling geological carbon storage. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering, NUMGE 2014, Vol. 2 (pp 989-994)
- The Ultimate Uplift Capacity of Multi-Plate Anchors in Undrained Clay. Soil Behavior and Geo-Micromechanics
- View this article in WRRO
Patents
Reports
- View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Computational Mechanics & Design
Geotechnical Engineering Discipline
- Grants
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Exploiting the resilience of masonry arch bridge infrastructure
The goal of this project is to provide those responsible for the management of bridges with a powerful suite of analysis modelling tools and a robust overarching multi-level framework capable of being applied to the diverse population of masonry arch bridges in-service today (i.e. undamaged, damaged and repaired).
Practical 3D model of masonry arch bridges and tunnel linings
The decision support tools currently used by bridge owners and their consultants tend to be highly simplified, and incapable of identifying bridges which are likely to deteriorate under traffic loads, and of diagnosing the causes of a range of commonly encountered defects...
- Potential PhD offerings
Unfortunately I am not seeking any PhD Students at this time, however please contact me if you are interested in doing a project in my research area.