Civil Engineering

Research groups

Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering

This area encompasses structural engineering, advanced composite materials and geomechanics. Based around BLADE (the £20 million Bristol Laboratories for Advanced Dynamics Engineering) and the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre, the group focuses on the non-linear performance and reliability of civil engineering infrastructure, with an emphasis on dynamic loading. It develops techniques for theoretical and numerical analysis, physical testing of infrastructure in the field and laboratory structural and geotechnical material behaviour characterisation and modelling, structural vulnerability and overall non-linear dynamic performance assessment. This group is the largest in the UK with an interest in earthquake engineering.

The Earthquake Engineering Research Centre hosts one of Europe's leading academic experimental research facilities in earthquake engineering and structural dynamics. The centre has made notable advances in several areas, including the mechanisms of wind and pedestrian-induced vibrations, the non-linear dynamics of masonry and other buildings (including strengthening and using advanced composites), and the seismic response of bridges and large dams. Research in advanced composites links with the faculty's Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science and focuses on large-scale testing and advanced theoretical analysis of hybrid structures, comprising any combination of conventional construction materials and novel materials (such as limecrete and fibre-reinforced polymers) which have significant sustainability benefits for use in buildings and bridges.

The group has an active interest in solving geotechnical problems using a multi-scale approach, combining laboratory testing, constitutive modelling, physical modelling, field observation and numerical simulation. Recent research focuses on measurements of deformation properties of soils using novel techniques of laboratory geophysics at very small strains for stiffness, dynamic soil-structure interaction with an emphasis on piles and retaining walls, and foundations of offshore wind turbines. The group also has a strong interest in the characterisation of treated geomaterials: mixtures of soil with various inclusions like fibres, cement, fly ash and soft tyre chips. The Soil Mechanics Laboratory possesses a series of triaxial and a unique set of multiaxial soil test apparatus: true triaxial apparatus (independent variation of three principal stresses, rigid boundaries), cubical cell (independent variation of three principal stresses, flexible boundaries) and hollow cylindrical torsional apparatus (independent control of four stress variables).

The Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group is concerned with characterising and simulating the water environment in a changing world. We advance the sustainable use of water resources, provide design variables for infrastructure and enhance the security of society regarding floods and other environmental hazards. Focus areas include: hydrology, water and health, climate change impacts, water quality, risk from natural hazards, and new observational methods.

Water and environmental security is crucial for the sustainable and safe existence of both people and nature. Ensuring water security requires protection from floods and water scarcity, and the sufficient supply of fresh water of appropriate quality to ensure environmental and human health. The future of our society is less likely to be threatened by armed conflict than by population growth, climate change, water shortages and pollution, as well as poverty and rising food prices. The water and environment research group focuses on developing the theory and tools needed to address the complex issue of water security in a changing world. The group consists of an interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientists who combine process understanding, mathematical modelling, novel monitoring approaches and engineering principles to solve societal water problems.

The infrastructure systems research group develops novel, holistic approaches for characterising and managing the safe and sustainable performance of complex socio-technical systems. Key areas of work include sustainable systems, problem structuring methods, the vulnerability and resilience of infrastructures, infrastructure interdependencies, smart cities and communities, and safety and vulnerability of embedded software systems. Within the infrastructure systems research group, the Safety Systems Research Centre performs novel research into the safe and resilient performance of complex systems, including computational and organisational factors. The centre is also part of the Bristol-Oxford Nuclear Research Centre, and Bristol’s strategic relationship with EDF.

Careers

Civil engineering PhD graduates are found in a variety of careers, including world-leading research. Many also work as consultants or as part of large-scale engineering industries.