Infrastructure

This research needs to address both the present and the future challenges. Looking forward, it is clear that humanity has created increasingly complex infrastructure systems that are neither resilient nor well understood.  Anticipated increases in the frequency and severity of natural and man-made disasters, such as those caused by climate change, will cause greater uncertainty in the behaviour of such systems in the future. 

Specifically, our cities and civil infrastructure are facing a ‘trilemma’:

• Population growth and urbanisation are increasing the demands on infrastructure, which is becoming more diverse and complex.
• Socio-technical (the social and technical aspects of society) complexity is increasing along with the number and types of connections between assets and systems, each with reflecting dependencies or interdependencies.
• The capacity of society to invest in infrastructure renewal is reducing relative to the rate of increase in size and complexity of the functions that they need to support.

Society is both generating new engineered systems and retrofitting existing ones (cities, energy systems and national infrastructure) as it strives for prosperity and growth with finite resources. As well as developing tools to manage discrete infrastructure problems, we need to develop techniques to improve our understanding of the inherent and complex uncertainties in our integrated infrastructure systems, which also operate within and interact with complex natural environments. 

Our research seeks to shed new light on the above mentioned challenges for infrastructure, to shape our cities in a manner that allows them to thrive within the carrying capacity of the planet.

Disciplines

Our department has been research-led for over 100 years and our academic staff are organised into four overarching disciplines, the main ones being Water Engineering and Structural Engineering and Materials.

Water Engineering

Structural Engineering & Materials

Geotechnical Engineering

Resources, Infrastructure Systems and Built Environments

Current Research

Hydro KTP (Innovate UK)

Efficient Surrogate Modelling for Sustainable Management of Complex Seawater Intrusion-Impacted Aquifers (EPSRC)

DecarboN8 (EPSRC)

Modelling Mixing Mechanisms in 1D Water Network Models (EPSRC)

Biomonitoring (South Staffordshire Water PLC)

Grand Challenge for Water (EPSRC)

Real Time Absraction Management (Innovate UK)

Exploiting the resilience of masonry arch bridge infrastructure (EPSRC)

CIVVSNSF CBET (EPSRC)

Datatecnics Phase 2 (Datatecnics Corporation Ltd)

ICASP Hull Living with Water Partnership (Natural Environment Research Council)

Material Destiny (Anglian Water Services Ltd)

Urban Green DaMS (EPSRC)

Previous Research - last 5 years

CORONA (EPSRC)

NBIC proposal with Welsh Water (BBSRC)

Masonry arch bridges containing internal spandrels (Network Rail Ltd)

Practical 3D model of masonry arch bridges and tunnel linings (Network Rail Ltd)

Focussing Localised Discolouration Modelling (United Utilities Water Plc)

PODDS + (Severn Trent Water Ltd)

Particle-Scale Investigation of Seepage Induced Geotechnical Instablility (EPSRC)

The Addition of Phosphate Dosing to Dwr Cymru Welsh Water zone B10 (Welsh Water)

RCUK-TUBITAK Research Partnerships (EPSRC)

Investigating potable water distribution networks and consumer demand for systems subjected to low pressures and intermittent supply (Royal Academy of Engineering)

UKWIR Bacteriological Monitoring Project (UK Water Industry Research Ltd)

Wat-Qual: Water Quality in Drinking Water Distribution Systems (Horizon 2020)

Academics Involved