Advanced Civil Engineering MSc

This is the major project element for all MSc plans in the Department of Civil Engineering. It will normally take the form of an in-depth investigation, whether it involves experimentation or an extensive review of work already completed by others. Typically, but not exclusively, it will include the following:

• Project definition and aim
• Literature review
• Practical experimentation / investigation
• Presentation of results
• Critical analysis of findings

The detailed technical content of the module will depend on the specific area under examination. Assessment is based on submission of a report (typically 10,000 to 20,000 words) which covers the above elements.

The project area is flexible and will be supervised by an academic member of staff.

Previous research projects have included:

• Weather impact on construction schedules
• Predicted future climate change trends
• The use and abuse of GPS in current UK survey practices
• The utilization of laser scanning system for examination and monitoring of tunnel deformation and structural integrity
• Life cycle assessment of the M25 highway widening scheme

This module introduces important aspects affecting the professional practice of Civil Engineering including sustainability, environmental impact, quality management, continuous improvement and management principles. It will also develop knowledge and skills that will be used in the summer project, including writing a literature review and how to critically review your own and others’ writing.

This is a compulsory course for all students studying an MSc in the Department of Civil Engineering. The course provides an introduction into important aspects affecting the professional practice of Civil Engineering and facilitates the development of knowledge and skills that will be used in the summer project, including literature review and writing skills, and developing a proposal for the activities to be conducted in the summer. 

The module will incorporate a mixture of learning environments/resources, including one-on-one tuition with personal tutors to formulate ideas and plans related to the summer project, classroom activities focused on resources relating to writing a literature review and how to critically review others’ as well as one’s own writing, and three 2-week workshops which provide knowledge in aspects that are important within the context of the professional practice of Civil Engineering.

This module will reinforce and advance some of the principles of soil mechanics previously learnt, and describe the principles of Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM), a model used to predict the behaviour of soils.

It includes revision of previous concepts, shear box and triaxial tests data analysis, critical state line, elasticity and plasticity, development of an elasto-plastic soil model, and constitutive model application in numerical simulations.

Students will learn about and conduct their own triaxial tests on soil samples within the laboratory such that they can obtain constitutive model parameters for the soil. Students will learn to use a finite element method (FEM) software package that is popular for geotechnical analyses as well as the principles of physical modelling using a geotechnical centrifuge. The coursework element will require students to use constitutive model parameters obtained from triaxial testing within FEM analyses.

The FEM analyses will include

1. the replication of the triaxial tests and verification of results against analytical predictions (using CSSM), and
2. simulation of a boundary value problem (e.g. vertical loading of a foundation), for which they will compare numerical predictions against a centrifuge test data set provided to them.

Delivery

Assessment method

This module will look into the design of specialised structural systems such as composite beams and floors, portal frames, tubular trusses, and pre-stressed concrete beams and slabs.

It will also look into connection behaviour, the design of steel moment connections and sway stability of buildings. A major group design exercise will illustrate the approach to the design of complete structures.

Method and Frequency of Class:

Method of Assessment:

This module provides an introduction to coastal engineering. This includes:

• Waves, tides, and wave-generated and tidal currents
• Beaches and sediments
• Tidal energy

Delivery

Assessment method

The module will introduce concepts of linear and nonlinear finite element theory for structural engineering.

Content will involve finite element formulation, i.e. bar, beam, plane stress, plane strain and plate/ shell elements as well as their implementation within the direct stiffness method. Aspects of material and geometrical nonlinearities will be examined and the particular cases of concentrated and distributed plasticity beam element formulations for skeletal structures will introduced.

Load, displacement, and general control nonlinear static analysis schemes will also be examined and implemented for the solution of finite element problems. Concepts will be practiced through two individual pieces of coursework on linear and non-linear finite element theory respectively. Coursework will involve both a theory implementation and an analysis aspect using software.

Method and Frequency of Class:

Method of Assessment:

For efficiency and clarity, the module will have complementary themes running in parallel at times, as shown below:

The module will involve two pieces of individual courseworks in wind loading and buffeting.

Method and Frequency of Class:

 Method of Assessment:

This module considers some of the most commonly-used system reliability assessment techniques applied to support system management.

It covers the construction of reliability models that use basic component failure information to describe specific system failure modes, the qualitative and quantitative analyses of these models, and the critical evaluation of systems using the analytical results. The models will be discussed in the context of their application to engineering systems and infrastructure assets.

The module aims to provide students with:

• An understanding of the basic statistical, probabilistic and mathematical concepts required to predict the reliability of components and systems.
• A detailed knowledge of the most commonly used system reliability assessment techniques.
• The ability to critically evaluate systems and assets using mathematical models.

Assessment method

This module will be assessed by an in-class test (20%) and an exam (80%).

This module will introduce the components of railway track structures, conventional and otherwise. It will include analysis of forces on a railway track and consequent deflections, stresses, alignment design principles, and an overview of the railway as a total system including operational issues, signalling and control.

Assessment method

This module is assessed by individual and group coursework (40%) and an exam (60%).

Delivery

Assessment method

This module is designed to deliver an understanding of sustainability principles and how, in particular, transport infrastructure engineering as well as the wider construction industry can contribute to sustainable development.

The module will include the following themes:

• Sustainability: an introduction to sustainability, sustainable development; sustainable construction; and how transport infrastructure engineering can contribute to sustainable construction.
• Environmental impacts of infrastructure construction: a review of the positive and negative environmental impacts of construction including resources and waste and energy and climate change.
• Social impacts of infrastructure construction: a review of the positive and negative social impacts of construction including; corporate social responsibility, responsible sourcing, poverty reduction and sustainable development goals.
• Assessment: indicators, assessment systems, environmental life-cycle assessment, life-cycle cost analysis.

Delivery

Assessment method

This module considers the processes to assess the risk of fatality posed to the general public and workforce through the operation or existence of engineering systems and infrastructure. Risk is defined in terms of its frequency and consequences and modeling techniques are described by which these two elements of a risk assessment can be evaluated. The results obtained from the models are considered in the context of their application to civil and transportation systems and an indication given as to when the risk would be deemed acceptable.

On this module you will cover the following content:

• Fundamentals of traffic flow theory
• Some elements of traffic data collection
• Traffic signal control
• Transport modelling to determine traffic flow distribution

This module will introduce students to the principles of deformation monitoring in civil engineering projects It will focus on the measurements and the data analysis techniques which are applied in deformation monitoring of civil engineering structures, such as bridges, tall buildings, underground structures (tunnels) and ground deformation related to geohazards (earthquakes and land subsidence).

The theory which is taught during the semester is applied in two deformation monitoring projects. One of the projects is the deformation monitoring of a pedestrian bridge, which includes field measurements and data analysis aiming to estimate the bridge response.

This module considers the use of system reliability assessment techniques to support asset management decision making. It covers the analysis of asset failure data, how to construct and analyse asset degradation models and how to use optimisation techniques to enable the selection of optimal maintenance strategies.

The techniques will be discussed in the context of their application to asset infrastructures.

Assessment method

This module will be assessed by a class test (20%) and an exam (80%).

Delivery

Assessment method

The module will look into the analysis and design of bridge structures, including definition of loading, structural analysis methods for deck and piers, and design of deck, piers and foundations of steel and concrete bridges.

A group project consists of the conceptual design of a bridge and the detailed design of key structural elements.

Method and Frequency of Class: 

Method of Assessment:

This module will use the design of a tall building as a platform for students to practise and apply the skills that they have developed through the modules in the Autumn Semester. Students will work in groups to tackle a tall building design problem based on an architect’s brief and an identified site.

Detailed models of the proposed solution will be developed and evaluated using design and analysis software.

The scope of the project will cover:

• the social and engineering context of the proposed tall building
• the principal structural system
• evaluation of loading
• outline design of foundations, and
• presentation of the design.

Method and Frequency of Class:

Lectures are only held at the start of the project and will not continue throughout the semester.

Method of Assessment:

This module consists of:

• Introduction
• Fundamental CFD theory
• Turbulence
• Multiphase
• Reactive Flow
• Quality Assurance

Method and Frequency of Class:

Activities may take place every teaching week of the Semester or only in specified weeks. It is usually specified above if an activity only takes place in some weeks of a Semester.

Method of Assessment:

This module is designed to deliver an understanding of sustainability principles and how, in particular, transport infrastructure engineering as well as the wider construction industry can contribute to sustainable development.

The module will include the following themes:

• Sustainability: an introduction to sustainability, sustainable development; sustainable construction; and how transport infrastructure engineering can contribute to sustainable construction.
• Environmental impacts of infrastructure construction: a review of the positive and negative environmental impacts of construction including resources and waste and energy and climate change.
• Social impacts of infrastructure construction: a review of the positive and negative social impacts of construction including; corporate social responsibility, responsible sourcing, poverty reduction and sustainable development goals.
• Assessment: indicators, assessment systems, environmental life-cycle assessment, life-cycle cost analysis.

Delivery

Assessment method

This module considers some of the most commonly-used system reliability assessment techniques applied to support system management.

It covers the construction of reliability models that use basic component failure information to describe specific system failure modes, the qualitative and quantitative analyses of these models, and the critical evaluation of systems using the analytical results. The models will be discussed in the context of their application to engineering systems and infrastructure assets.

The module aims to provide students with:

• An understanding of the basic statistical, probabilistic and mathematical concepts required to predict the reliability of components and systems.
• A detailed knowledge of the most commonly used system reliability assessment techniques.
• The ability to critically evaluate systems and assets using mathematical models.

Assessment method

This module will be assessed by an in-class test (20%) and an exam (80%).