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Research project

J Smethurst 2015 - EPSRC: Rooting for Sustainable Performance

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Joel Smethurst BEng PhD GMICE FHEA

Professor

Research interests

  • Deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure subject to both seasonal cycles of wetting and drying and applied traffic loading
  • The effect of extreme weather events and climate change on the performance of earthworks (cuttings and embankments) and flood levees
  • The effects of vegetation transpiration and root reinforcement on the performance of earthworks
Connect with Joel

Email: [email protected]

Other researchers

Professor Ian Sinclair

Professor of Engineering Materials
Connect with Ian

Email: [email protected]

Professor William Powrie

Professor of Geotechnical Engineering

Research interests

  • Railway track and trackbed behaviour and performance
  • Geotechnical transportation infrastructure (earthworks, retaining walls, tunnels)
  • Groundwater and groundwater control
Connect with William

Email: [email protected]

Professor Tiina Roose

Professor-Biological&Environmental Model
Connect with Tiina

Email: [email protected]

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Engineering Materials and Surface Engineering Group

Our research activities are often multidisciplinary involving collaborations with other research groups, Universities and industry partners.

Bioengineering Group

We apply engineering principles to the fields of biology and healthcare.

Research outputs

Modelling of stress transfer in root-reinforced soils informed by four-dimensional X-ray computed tomography and digital volume correlation data
Daniel Bull, Joel Smethurst, Gerrit Meijer, Ian Sinclair, Fabrice Pierron, Tiina Roose, William Powrie & Glyn Bengough, 2022, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 478(2257)
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2021.0210
Type: article
Mathematical and computational modelling of vegetated soil incorporating hydraulically-driven finite strain deformation
Nicholas Woodman, Joel Smethurst, Tiina Roose, William Powrie, G. Meijer, J. Knappett & T. Dias, 2020, Computers and Geotechnics, 127
DOI: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2020.103754
Type: article
Mechanisms of root-reinforcement in soils: an experimental methodology using four-dimensional X-ray computed tomography and digital volume correlation
Daniel Bull, Joel Smethurst, Ian Sinclair, Fabrice Pierron, Tiina Roose, William Powrie & Anthony G. Bengough, 2020, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 476(2237), 1-23
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2019.0838
Type: article
Understanding the mechanisms of root-reinforcement in soils: soil shear tests using X-ray computed tomography and digital volume correlation
Daniel Bull, Ian Sinclair, Fabrice Pierron, Tiina Roose & Joel Smethurst, 2019, E3S Web of Conferences, 92
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199212009
Type: article
Climate and vegetation impacts on infrastructure cuttings and embankments
William Powrie & Joel Smethurst, 2019
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-2221-1_7
Type: conference