Assessing the Internal Health of Earthworks for more Stable Infrastructure

“The traditional approach has been to deal with the failure of such earthworks after they happen, but we want to detect issues in advance so we can avoid hazardous and expensive failures”.

In part 2 of our 2019 researcher case studies we look at Dr Shane Donohue of the UCD School of Civil Engineering.

We rely heavily on the earthworks that support our roads, railways and watercourses. If they fail it can cause loss of life, disruption to transport services and the expense of repair. As earthwork infrastructure ages and faces pressure from climate change, we need a fast and economical way to assess the earth.
Dr Shane Donohue from UCD School of Civil Engineering is researching seismic-wave-based technology to help major transport and infrastructure managers rapidly assess earthwork assets at scale. This will enable timely maintenance, reducing the risk of failure.

You can find the full text of his case study here: Assessing the Internal Health of Earthworks for more Stable Infrastructure.