Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• understand the kinematical properties of curved surfaces;
• understand the load-carrying mechanisms for plates and shell structures;
• formulate the governing equations of deformation for small displacement behaviour;
• identify the benefits and limitations associated with closed-form solutions;
• appreciate the difference between stretching and bending effects in shells;
• appreciate the effects of geometrical non-linearity;
• be aware of the current state-of-the art in advanced shells;
• understand the nature of stability, instability and multistability in shells, and their practical exploitation.

Content

This module introduces the mechanics of plates and shells: thin-walled elastic surfaces that are important components of many structures and engineering devices. Key kinematical concepts are introduced for describing the initial and deformed shape of surface, either to make the description more succinct, or to reveal essential/invariant properties: these include the familiar Mohr’s circle, surfaces of revolution, and the Gaussian curvature. The relationship between internal strains and external shape is revealed for conventional smooth elastic shells. The manufacture of traditional engineering shells is reviewed, and their constitutive response is formulated: more “advanced” shell materials are introduced, including smart materials. The imperatives of equilibrium, compatibility and Hooke’s law are presented for deriving the final governing equations of deformation for circular and rectangular plates undergoing small displacements—a fraction of the thickness of shell. The distinction between bending and stretching responses of the shell is tackled through the membrane hypothesis and extended, first, to axisymmetrical pipe problems, and then to panel buckling under end-wise compression, which introduces geometrically non-linear behaviour. This is extended in cases of more compliant shells where displacements are expected to be much larger—of the order of the thickness, requiring more elaborate analysis techniques for tractable solutions: two approaches are presented, including an introduction of inextensibility theory. Finally, the behaviour and analysis of multistable shells are introduced: these show dramatic shape-changing properties, which may be exploited in novel “morphing” structures.

Geometry and kinematics of surfaces (4L)

• Properties of curves and surfaces: curvature and twist.
• Mohr’s circle of curvature and twist.
• Kinematics of surfaces of revolution and circular plates.
• Gaussian curvature: extrinsic and intrinsic viewpoints, principal radii of curvature.
• Inextensibility of creased sheets: simple surface strain, Gauss’ Theorema Egregium.
• Mixed/hierarchical kinematics: corrugated and compliant shells.

Materials (2L)

• Traditional engineering materials: metals, composites and natural materials, methods of manufacture, applications.
• Constitutive laws: bending and stretching generalised Hooke’s laws, thermal effects.
• Bending and stretching strain energy densities.
• Advanced engineering materials: review of smart/actuating materials, applications.
• Natural shells: growth and bio-mimicry, constitutive laws.

Loading of shells: small displacement theories (3L)

• Bending of circular and rectangular plates: imperatives of equilibrium, Hooke’s Law, and compatibility.
• Surfaces of revolution: membrane hypothesis and bending-stretching interaction in pipes.
• Two-surface idealisation and panel buckling.

Loading of shells: large displacement theories (3L)

• Non-linear methods: solutions by inspection and substitution; the lenticular plate.
• Inextensibility Theory.

Unloaded shells: multistability (2L)

• Applications.
• Analytical modelling: effects of material constitution, pre-stress, actuation and shape.

This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:

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Last modified: 11/06/2025 17:44

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• Recognise the unsustainable feature of current water engineering practice
• Understand the impacts of climate change on water resources, and approaches to adapt
• The ability to evaluate recent practices and developments in managing all aspects of the water cycle, with an emphasis on developing countries

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• Understand the limitations of conventional /traditional water supply and wastewater engineering systems in a sustainability context.
• Appreciate the key features of managing the water cycle in a sustainable manner and the need to meet a variety of resilience criteria.
• Recognise and critically assess the problems and solutions associated with managing water engineering projects in developing countries
• Be familiar with key aspects of water management in an international development context
• Recognise global issues in relation to the equitable management, distribution and disposal of water under growing environmental, social and political constraints.

Content

Leonardo Da Vinci remarked that ‘Water … is the cause of life or death, of increase or privation, nourishes at times and at others does the contrary …’. Today, water is at the centre of the sustainable development and climate action agendas. The most serious and high-profile impacts of climate change are being felt through water: floods, droughts, melting of ice and reduced snow cover, amongst others. Water is also a major sustainable development challenge: worldwide, 844 million people lack access to drinking water, and 2.3 billion do not have access to latrines or other basic sanitation facilities, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. High-income countries are also faced with water-related policy and engineering dilemmas. In the UK, the water sector is facing a major governance and investment crisis, and in the US, millions of people are drinking potentially unsafe tap water.

The module explores established and emerging practices for managing water under climate change. The module introduces key water issues around the world, including access to water supply and sanitation, flood and drought risk management, irrigation water service provision, and freshwater ecosystem degradation. Established and emerging engineering and policy practices for addressing these issues under climate change will be reviewed, including risk-based water resources planning, water allocation reform, and nature-based solutions. The interdependencies between water and other critical resources and sectors will be explored, with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and food security. The module features discussions of present-day applications, with a focus on case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and guest speakers from industry and policy.

Why Plan and Manage Water?

Climate change expresses itself through water. Nine out of ten ‘natural’ disasters are water-related. Water-related climate risks cascade through food, energy, urban and environmental systems. If we are to achieve climate and development goals, water must be at the core of adaptation strategies and development policy. This lecture describes some of the challenges and opportunities related to water, with examples from around the world. Problems of water management include too much, too little, too polluted, or too expensive water. The lecture also provides an overview of global progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 6 on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Approaches for Water Resources Planning and Management

Water resources planning and management activities are usually motivated by the realization that there are problems to solve and/or opportunities to obtain increased benefits by changing the management and use of water and related resources. This lecture presents water planning and management approaches, focusing on their technical, financial and economic, institutional and governance aspects. The different paradigms of water resources planning and management are discussed, including top-down planning, bottom-up planning, and Integrated Water Resources Management. The lecture evaluates the engineering paradigms and tools typically used to support planning and management and identifies the potential to update them in light of sustainable development and climate goals. The approaches and framework discussed in this lecture will serve the basis for the sub-sector deep-dives in the following lectures.

Are we going to run out of water?

Households, farms, factories, and ecosystems around the world are being forced to live with less water. Water crises are now amongst the top global risks, and many cities are already facing water shortages. This lecture unpacks the concept of water scarcity to explore its multiple dimensions and map its consequences at global and local levels. What are the main sources of water? And how do societies use it – and value it? Will we run out of water? Taking the world’s most water scarce region (Middle East and North Africa) as a case study, the lecture responds to these questions and evaluates alternative responses to water scarcity, with a focus on engineering options that manufacture new water through wastewater reuse and desalination.

Can clean energy help ease the water crisis?

How does the energy sector use water? What are the potential impacts of energy system transformation on water supplies? And how much energy does the water sector utilize? This lecture explores the ‘nexus’ between energy and water, examining both water for energy and energy for water, and presenting options for integrated energy and water systems planning. Taking the case study of a water utility in Brazil, the lecture discusses pathways to reduce energy consumption in the water sector.

Can we grow more food with less water?

Sustainable food production will not happen if water is not managed properly. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, and remains a major source of water pollution. Against this backdrop, engineers and policy-makers around the world often promote investments to grow more ‘crop per drop’, that is, more food with less water. This lecture explores the opportunities of growing more food with less water, and reveals some of the linkages between food and water policy that engineers need to be aware of when seeking to maximize efficiency in the water sector. Taking the case study of solar-power irrigation systems in India, the lecture discusses the complexities of integrated water-food-energy policy.

Working with nature: can ecosystems-based approaches help achieve water security?

Engineers around the world increasingly work with natural processes to reduce the impacts of floods and droughts, or to improve water quality. This lecture describes multiple types of nature-based solutions, and their benefits in terms of water-related outcomes and broader environmental outcomes. Taking the case study of natural flood management in the UK, the lecture discusses the approaches for working with nature to improve water security.

Sharing water, sharing problems?

As water scarcity increases around the world, the spectre of ‘water wars’ is often evoked by the media and by politicians. While water is indeed a source of tension between and within countries, it is very rarely a direct cause of war or conflict. This lecture reviews the complexities of managing water across boundaries and explores the evidence that helps dispel the myths of water wars. Two case studies from river basins in Africa showcase the potential for water engineering to contribute to cooperative transboundary water management.

Putting it all together: project planning for climate adaptation in the water sector

The course introduced some of the water-related challenges and opportunities encountered around the world, and the tools that are being used to address them.  The final lecture combines messages from the previous lectures to draw some general lessons on good practices for climate adaptation in the water sector. The concepts of robustness and adaptive planning are introduced, and a framework for analysis and implementation of projects is evaluated with examples from projects from different parts of the world.

This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:

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Last modified: 06/06/2025 12:38

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• bridge some of the gap between structural analysis, as taught in Parts I and IIA, and practical steel design as presented in design codes; however, although it will refer to the appropriate codes, it will not be an "introduction to the code" module.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• show an understanding of the background to the major codes of practice for structural steelwork.
• apply these codes thoughtfully to the design of actual steel structures.
• differentiate between the functions of compact, rolled sections and more slender, thin-walled plate-girder members.
• appreciate the vital function of joints and connnectors, and understand the limitation of various jointing techniques.
• understand the performance of civil engineering composite structures.

Content

A separate handout with numerous worked examples covers each of the sections below.

Preliminary Details (1L)

• Steel properties and grading;
• Types of section;
• Principles of Limit-States design;
• Partial safety factors;
• British and European Standards.

Compact Member Design (6L)

• Flexural buckling of columns (axial loads) and effect of elastic restraints;
• Lateral torsional buckling of beams (transverse loads);
• Beam-column buckling using Interaction Equations.

Thin-walled Member Design (3L)

• Local buckling modes for a plate due to compression, bending and shearing;
• Definitions of compactness and effective sections for beams and columns;
• Panel performances in stiffened sections.

Joints and Composite Construction (3L)

• Connections for simple and continuous construction;
• Bolted joints using bearing bolts and friction bolts;
• Welded joints using butt and fillet welds;
• Fatigue life of welds;
• Classification of weld joints;
• Detailing of joints;
• Composite section types;
• Composite section design using headed shear connectors;
• Composite floor slabs using profiled decking.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• introduce the challenges of foundation design and examine possible solutions from simple pad footings, through piles and caissons.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• assess the design requirements of a foundation;
• deduce appropriate soil properties for foundation design from site investigation data;
• decide whether to use a shallow or deep foundation;
• design shallow and deep foundations against collapse;
• design shallow and deep foundations against excessive settlement;
• explain the difference between drained and undrained response;
• recognise mechanisms which contribute to generating deformations and load capacity; and
• back-analyse observed foundation performance.

Content

All civil engineering structures from houses to tethered oil and gas platforms require foundations.

The module begins by examining the requirements of a foundation; the applied loading, the acceptable deformations and the derivation of appropriate soil properties for each aspect of design.

The module then builds on material from 3D2 (geotechnical engineering) to examine theoretical solutions for the capacity (strength) and settlement (stiffness) of shallow and deep foundations under simple loading conditions in idealised soils. Strength is dealt with using plasticity. Stiffness is dealt with using elasticity. These theoretical solutions are then extended to more complex loading conditions and less idealised soils. 

Obtaining Geotechnical Data

• Site investigation methods;
• Field measurements of soil stiffness;
• Laboratory assessment of soil strength and stiffness parameters; and
• Small strain stiffness of soils.

Foundation Design

• Foundation types;
• Loading conditions;
• Relevant soil behaviour and soil models; and
• Selection of design soil properties.

Shallow Foundations

• Strength: undrained failure of strip footings: vertical (V), horizontal (H) and moment (M) capacity;
• Strength: drained failure of strip footings: V-H-M capacity, superposition of surcharge and self-weight effects;
• Effects of footing shape and embedment, and soil heterogeneity;
• Stiffness: elastic settlement of shallow foundations: drained and undrained; and
• Stiffness: settlement of shallow foundations on non-linear soil.

Deep Foundations

• Deep foundation types and construction methods; piles and caissons.
• Pile strength: axial and lateral capacity;
• Pile stiffness: axial and lateral deformations;
• Piles: load testing, influence of installation method on performance; and
• Pile groups: mutual influence, block behaviour, differential settlement.