520 research outputs found
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Towards evaluation design for smart city development
Smart city developments integrate digital, human, and physical systems in the built environment. With growing urbanization and widespread developments, identifying suitable evaluation methodologies is important. Case-study research across five UK cities - Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Peterborough - revealed that city evaluation approaches were principally project-focused with city-level evaluation plans at early stages. Key challenges centred on selecting suitable evaluation methodologies to evidence urban value and outcomes, addressing city authority requirements. Recommendations for evaluation design draw on urban studies and measurement frameworks, capitalizing on big data opportunities and developing appropriate, valid, credible integrative approaches across projects, programmes and city-level developments
Soil geohazard mapping for improved asset management of UK local roads
Unclassified roads comprise 60% of the road network
in the United Kingdom (UK). The resilience of this locally
important network is declining. It is considered by the
Institution of Civil Engineers to be “at risk” and is ranked
26th in the world. Many factors contribute to the degradation
and ultimate failure of particular road sections. However,
several UK local authorities have identified that in drought
conditions, road sections founded upon shrink–swell susceptible
clay soils undergo significant deterioration compared
with sections on non-susceptible soils. This arises from the
local road network having little, if any, structural foundations.
Consequently, droughts in East Anglia have resulted
in millions of pounds of damage, leading authorities to seek
emergency governmental funding.
This paper assesses the use of soil-related geohazard assessments
in providing soil-informed maintenance strategies
for the asset management of the locally important road network
of the UK. A case study draws upon the UK administrative
county of Lincolnshire, where road assessment data have
been analysed against mapped clay-subsidence risk. This reveals
a statistically significant relationship between road condition
and susceptible clay soils. Furthermore, incorporation
of UKCP09 future climate projections within the geohazard
models has highlighted roads likely to be at future risk of
clay-related subsidence
Probabilistic soil moisture projections to assess Great Britain's future clay-related subsidence hazard
Clay-related subsidence is Great Britain’s (GB) most damaging soil-related geohazard, costing the economy up to £500 million per annum. Soil-related geohazard models based on mineralogy and potential soil moisture deficit (PSMD) derived from historic weather data have been used in risk management since the 1990s. United Kingdom Climate Projections (UKCP09) suggest that regions of GB will experience hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters through to 2050. As a result, PSMD fluctuations are expected to increase, exacerbating the shrinkage and swelling of clay soils. A forward-looking approach is now required to mitigate the impacts of future climate on GB’s built environment. We present a framework for incorporating probabilistic projections of PSMD, derived from a version of the UKCP09 stochastic weather generator, into a clay subsidence model. This provides a novel, national-scale thematic model of the likelihood of clay-related subsidence, related to the top 1-1.5m soil layer, for three time periods; baseline (1961-1990), 2030 (2020-2049) and 2050 (2040-2069). Results indicate that much of GB, with the exception of upland areas, will witness significantly higher PSMDs through to the 2050’s. As a result, areas with swelling clay soils will be subject to proportionately increased subsidence hazard. South-east England will likely incur the highest hazard exposure to clay-related subsidence through to 2050. Potential impacts include increased incidence of property foundation subsidence, alongside deterioration and increased failure rates of GB’s infrastructure networks. Future clay-subsidence hazard scenarios provide benefit to many sectors, including: finance, central and local government, residential property markets, utilities and infrastructure operators.EPSR
Enhanced visualization of the flat landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands
The Fenlands of East Anglia, England, represent a subtle landscape, where topographic highs rarely exceed 30 m above sea level. However, the fens represent an almost full sequence of Quaternary deposits which, together with islands of Cretaceous and Jurassic outcrops, make the area of geological importance. This feature discusses the advantages of using 3D visualization coupled with high-resolution topographical data, over traditional 2D techniques, when undertaking an analysis of the landscape. Conclusions suggest that the use of 3D visualization will result in a higher level of engagement, particularly when communicating geological information to a wider public
Cohesive/Adhesive failure interaction in ductile adhesive joints Part I:A smeared-crack model for cohesive failure
AbstractThis paper proposes a new methodology for the finite element (FE) modelling of failure in adhesively bonded joint. Unlike current methods, cohesive and adhesive failures are treated separately. Initial results show the method׳s ability to give accurate prediction of failure of adhesive joints subjected to thickness-induced constraint and complex multi-axial loading using a single set of material parameters. The present paper (part I), focuses on the development of a smeared-crack model for cohesive failure. Model verification and validation are performed comparing the model predictions with experimental data from 3 point bending End Notched Flexure (3ENF) and Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) fracture tests conducted on adhesively bonded composite panels of different adhesive thicknesses
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