UKCRIC - Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Abstract
This proposal is for the creation a new suite of laboratories, known as the Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab (AIM Lab), within the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Imperial College, part of the UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC), a coordinated investment in world-class national infrastructure research capability.
This is a stand-alone facility, but will be complemented by the UKCRIC natural exposure facilities being developed at the University of Leeds and the UKCRIC extreme exposure facilities being developed at the University of Manchester. These 3 facilities will form a National Centre of Infrastructure Materials:
- Imperial College London - Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab: enhanced facilities for producing, processing, imaging, analysing and testing infrastructure materials.
- University of Leeds - Infrastructure Materials Exposure Facility: a field exposure site with full meteorological measurement capabilities, plus controlled environment climatic chambers for natural and accelerated ageing of the full range of infrastructure materials and assemblies in both in static and dynamic environments.
- University of Manchester - Fire and Impact Laboratory for Resilient Infrastructure Materials: critical loading and characterization facilities for testing materials under realistic fire and impact loading conditions.
The Imperial College submission also includes funds referred to as Imperial+ (Imperial Plus). These are funds (managed by Imperial) to extend the range of infrastructure materials and research facilities covered by the Centre, via invitations to other leading research groups to bid for complementary equipment.
The focus of the research using these facilities will be to develop better materials for national infrastructure; materials with enhanced technical performance, longer life, and reduced greenhouse gas footprint, which will be more easily recycled and will contribute to lower capital- and recurrent- cost infrastructure. Research will also aim to establish how to use existing materials more effectively. The lab will be relevant to a wide range of infrastructure materials including concrete, modified geomaterials, metals, polymers, composites, timber, masonry and asphalt, for use in civil infrastructure including structures, tunnels, pipelines, paving, track-beds and flood defences.
This is a stand-alone facility, but will be complemented by the UKCRIC natural exposure facilities being developed at the University of Leeds and the UKCRIC extreme exposure facilities being developed at the University of Manchester. These 3 facilities will form a National Centre of Infrastructure Materials:
- Imperial College London - Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab: enhanced facilities for producing, processing, imaging, analysing and testing infrastructure materials.
- University of Leeds - Infrastructure Materials Exposure Facility: a field exposure site with full meteorological measurement capabilities, plus controlled environment climatic chambers for natural and accelerated ageing of the full range of infrastructure materials and assemblies in both in static and dynamic environments.
- University of Manchester - Fire and Impact Laboratory for Resilient Infrastructure Materials: critical loading and characterization facilities for testing materials under realistic fire and impact loading conditions.
The Imperial College submission also includes funds referred to as Imperial+ (Imperial Plus). These are funds (managed by Imperial) to extend the range of infrastructure materials and research facilities covered by the Centre, via invitations to other leading research groups to bid for complementary equipment.
The focus of the research using these facilities will be to develop better materials for national infrastructure; materials with enhanced technical performance, longer life, and reduced greenhouse gas footprint, which will be more easily recycled and will contribute to lower capital- and recurrent- cost infrastructure. Research will also aim to establish how to use existing materials more effectively. The lab will be relevant to a wide range of infrastructure materials including concrete, modified geomaterials, metals, polymers, composites, timber, masonry and asphalt, for use in civil infrastructure including structures, tunnels, pipelines, paving, track-beds and flood defences.
Planned Impact
Game-changing research into construction materials has been limited over the past 25 years, falling between the interests of departments of materials science and civil engineering. A scientific approach is essential and is enabled by state-of-the-art instrumentation, but an understanding of engineering design, construction processes and exposure environments is also needed. This Facility will engage the materials science and civil engineering communities to work together on the next generation of infrastructure materials. Research using the facility (funded by other means, not this grant) has the potential to have great industrial and societal impact by developing better materials for national infrastructure; materials with enhanced technical performance, longer life, and reduced greenhouse gas footprint, which will be more easily recycled and will contribute to lower capital- and recurrent- cost infrastructure. The lab will be relevant to a wide range of infrastructure materials including concrete, modified geomaterials, metals, polymers, composites, timber, masonry and asphalt, for use in civil infrastructure including structures, tunnels, pipelines, paving, track-beds and flood defences.
The construction industry is crying out for materials engineers with an interest and deep understanding of construction materials. Motivated by the creation of this facility, Imperial is launching an MSc course in Infrastructure Materials. The graduates will be well-qualified to make an impact in industry and will also provide a pool of potential PhD students.
The construction industry is crying out for materials engineers with an interest and deep understanding of construction materials. Motivated by the creation of this facility, Imperial is launching an MSc course in Infrastructure Materials. The graduates will be well-qualified to make an impact in industry and will also provide a pool of potential PhD students.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Nick Buenfeld (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Al-Noaimat Y
(2023)
Upcycling end-of-life bricks in high-performance one-part alkali-activated materials
in Developments in the Built Environment
Allam S
(2018)
Exterior reinforced concrete beam column joint subjected to monotonic loading
in Alexandria Engineering Journal
Auwerter L
(2019)
Development of porous glass surfaces with recoverable hydrophobicity
in Materials Letters: X
Auwerter L
(2021)
Quantifying the Durability of a Friction-Reducing Surface with Recoverable Superhydrophobicity
in Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Ayati B
(2022)
Acid activated smectite clay as pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material
in Cement and Concrete Research
Ayati B
(2022)
Low-carbon cements: Potential for low-grade calcined clays to form supplementary cementitious materials
in Cleaner Materials
Bompa D
(2020)
Compressive behaviour of fired-clay brick and lime mortar masonry components in dry and wet conditions
in Materials and Structures
Bompa D
(2021)
Mechanical properties of hydraulic lime mortars and fired clay bricks subjected to dry-wet cycles
in Construction and Building Materials
Bompa D
(2020)
Experimental and numerical assessment of the shear behaviour of lime mortar clay brick masonry triplets
in Construction and Building Materials
Bompa D
(2021)
Constitutive modelling and mechanical properties of cementitious composites incorporating recycled vinyl banner plastics
in Construction and Building Materials
Bompa D
(2021)
Behaviour of confined rubberised concrete members under combined loading conditions
in Magazine of Concrete Research
Bowles A
(2020)
Sustainable rubber recycling from waste tyres by waterjet: A novel mechanistic and practical analysis
in Sustainable Materials and Technologies
Carraro J
(2017)
Encyclopedia of Maritime and Offshore Engineering
Dieckmann E
(2018)
Novel sound absorption materials produced from air laid non-woven feather fibres
in Heliyon
Dieckmann E
(2019)
New sustainable materials from waste feathers: Properties of hot-pressed feather/cotton/bi-component fibre boards
in Sustainable Materials and Technologies
Dieckmann E
(2019)
Thermal insulation packaging for cold-chain deliveries made from feathers
in Food Packaging and Shelf Life
Dieckmann E
(2020)
Analysis of Barriers to Transitioning from a Linear to a Circular Economy for End of Life Materials: A Case Study for Waste Feathers
in Sustainability
Dieckmann E
(2020)
Valorization of Waste Feathers in the Production of New Thermal Insulation Materials
in Waste and Biomass Valorization
Ding T
(2022)
Developing circular concrete: Acid treatment of waste concrete fines
in Journal of Cleaner Production
Dodwell TJ
(2021)
A data-centric approach to generative modelling for 3D-printed steel.
in Proceedings. Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Dominguez-Quintans C
(2019)
Quality assessment of a new in-mould slurry deposition method for triaxial specimen reconstitution of clean and silty sands
in E3S Web of Conferences
Dominguez-Quintans, C
(2023)
A critical assessment of the effect of initial fabric on key small-strain design parameters of slurry-deposited silts and sands, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
in Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Elghazouli A
(2021)
In-plane lateral cyclic behaviour of lime-mortar and clay-brick masonry walls in dry and wet conditions
in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering
Elghazouli A
(2018)
Performance of rubberised reinforced concrete members under cyclic loading
in Engineering Structures
Elghazouli A
(2022)
Experimental cyclic response of rubberised concrete-filled steel tubes
in Journal of Constructional Steel Research
Elzeadani M
(2023)
Monotonic and cyclic constitutive behaviour of rubberised one-part alkali-activated concrete
in Construction and Building Materials
Elzeadani M
(2022)
Experimental assessment and constitutive modelling of rubberised One-Part Alkali-Activated concrete
in Construction and Building Materials
Fernández-Sousa R
(2020)
Analysis of the influence of microstructural traps on hydrogen assisted fatigue
in Acta Materialia
Gardner L
(2020)
Testing and initial verification of the world's first metal 3D printed bridge
in Journal of Constructional Steel Research
Guo Y
(2022)
Nonlinear numerical assessments for the in-plane response of historic masonry walls
in Engineering Structures
Hadjipantelis N
(2022)
Description of anisotropic material response of wire and arc additively manufactured thin-walled stainless steel elements
in Thin-Walled Structures
Hausmann J
(2021)
The pH of Aqueous NaOH/KOH Solutions: A Critical and Non-trivial Parameter for Electrocatalysis
in ACS Energy Letters
He H
(2021)
Log Mean Divisia Index Decomposition Analysis of the Demand for Building Materials: Application to Concrete, Dwellings, and the U.K.
in Environmental science & technology
Jardine R
(2019)
Improving the design of piles driven in chalk through the ALPACA research project
in Revue Française de Géotechnique
Kia A
(2022)
Freeze-Thaw Durability of Conventional and Novel Permeable Pavement Replacement
in Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements
Kia A
(2019)
High-strength clogging resistant permeable pavement
in International Journal of Pavement Engineering
Kia A
(2021)
Structural and hydrological design of permeable concrete pavements
in Case Studies in Construction Materials
Kia A
(2018)
Defining clogging potential for permeable concrete.
in Journal of environmental management
Kristensen P
(2020)
Applications of phase field fracture in modelling hydrogen assisted failures
in Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics
Kristensen PK
(2021)
An assessment of phase field fracture: crack initiation and growth.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Krueger BC
(2021)
Critical analytical parameters for faecal sludge characterisation informing the application of thermal treatment processes.
in Journal of environmental management
Krueger BC
(2020)
Resource recovery and biochar characteristics from full-scale faecal sludge treatment and co-treatment with agricultural waste.
in Water research
Kumi-Larbi A
(2018)
Recycling waste plastics in developing countries: Use of low-density polyethylene water sachets to form plastic bonded sand blocks.
in Waste management (New York, N.Y.)
Kyvelou P
(2020)
Mechanical and microstructural testing of wire and arc additively manufactured sheet material
in Materials & Design
L'Hermitte A
(2023)
Effect of surface functionalization on the moisture stability and sorption properties of porous boron nitride
in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials
Mac M
(2021)
3D imaging techniques for characterising microcracks in cement-based materials
in Cement and Concrete Research
Mac M
(2021)
Analysis of autogenous shrinkage-induced microcracks in concrete from 3D images
in Cement and Concrete Research
Martínez-Pañeda E
(2020)
Generalised boundary conditions for hydrogen transport at crack tips
in Corrosion Science
Mason AR
(2022)
Resource requirements for ecosystem conservation: A combined industrial and natural ecology approach to quantifying natural capital use in nature.
in Ecology and evolution
Mujdeci A
(2022)
Axial and bending behaviour of steel tubes infilled with rubberised concrete
in Thin-Walled Structures
Description | This grant provided funding to establish new facilities for producing, processing, imaging, analysing and testing infrastructure materials. These were delivered on time and to budget, were successfully commissioned and are now being used heavily. While funding was not provided to undertake research, the facilities have been used in a wide range of projects (funded by other sources) as evidenced by the large number of publications (75 at March 2023) reporting research that utilised the new facilities. |
Exploitation Route | Research utilising the facilities of the new Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab has ranged from basic science that is already being cited and built upon by other researchers (for example the work of Martinez Paneda) through to the development of engineering solutions that have won awards, formed the basis of spin-out companies and are being trialed by industry - for example Permia permeable paving (www.permiapave.com) and Seratech Cement (www.seratechcement.com). |
Sectors | Construction |
Description | Cambridge Electric Cement: Zero-emissions cement from old concrete paste replacing flux in electric-arc furnaces |
Amount | £1,470,057 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/W026104/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2022 |
End | 09/2025 |
Description | Decarbonising cementitious materials through carbon capture and utilisation |
Amount | € 1,499,916 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start |
Description | Deep-Tech (DT) Prime, Delivering carbon negative concrete for net zero infrastructure |
Amount | £127,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2022 |
End | 07/2022 |
Description | Delivering carbon negative concrete for net zero infrastructure |
Amount | £84,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2022 |
End | 06/2022 |
Description | Engineered UK clays for production of low-carbon cements |
Amount | £165,356 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/W021765/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2022 |
End | 06/2026 |
Description | Engineered UK clays for production of low-carbon cements |
Amount | £997,934 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/W022583/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2022 |
End | 06/2026 |
Description | Long-term performance of PO4-based backfill cements in repository environments for DNLEU disposal |
Amount | £120,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | RWM504 |
Organisation | Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2022 |
End | 09/2025 |
Description | Nanovoids for Developing New Hydrogen-resistant Materials (NanoHMAT) |
Amount | £202,160 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/V04902X/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2021 |
End | 06/2023 |
Description | Next Generation Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Models for Hydrogen Embrittlement (NEXTGEM) |
Amount | £457,832 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/V009680/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2021 |
End | 09/2024 |
Title | HIGH STRENGTH POROUS CEMENT-BASED MATERIALS |
Description | The present disclosure is related to a method of forming a cement-based material pad comprising a plurality of drainage holes and forms for use in such a method. |
IP Reference | WO2020099868 |
Protection | Patent application published |
Year Protection Granted | 2020 |
Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
Impact | Spinout company |
Title | Silica supplementary cementitious materials |
Description | Silica supplementary cementitious materials |
IP Reference | GB2200676.1 |
Protection | Patent application published |
Year Protection Granted | 2022 |
Licensed | No |
Impact | Shanks, B., Draper, S., Wong, H.S., Cheeseman, C.R., "Silica supplementary cementitious materials", GB patent application no. 2200676.1, filed on 19 Jan 2022 |
Company Name | SERATECH LIMITED |
Description | Mineral supply;liers and wholesalers |
Year Established | 2021 |
Impact | - |
Website | https://opengovuk.com/company/13498658 |
Company Name | PERMIA LTD |
Description | See permiapave.com |
Year Established | 2019 |
Impact | Early days |
Website | http://permiapave.com |