Train speeds have steadily increased over time through advances in technology and the proposed second UK high speed railway line (HS2) will likely be designed with "passive provision" for future running at 400 km/hour. This is faster than on any ballasted track railway in the world. It is currently simply not known whether railway track for speeds of potentially 400 km/hour would be better constructed using a traditional ballast bed, a more highly engineered trackform such as a slabtrack or a hybrid between the two. Although slabtrack may have the advantage of greater permanence, ballasted track costs less to construct and if the need for ongoing maintenance can be overcome or reduced, may offer whole-life cost and carbon benefits. Certain knowledge gaps relating to ballasted track have become apparent from operational experience with HS1 and in the outline design of HS2. These concern 1. Track Geometry: experience on HS1 (London to the Channel Tunnel) is that certain sections of track, such as transition zones (between ballasted track and a more highly engineered trackform as used in tunnels and on bridges) and some curves require excessive tamping. This results in accelerated ballast degradation and increased ground vibration; both have an adverse effect on the environmental performance of the railway in terms of material use and impact on the surroundings. Thus the suitability of current design rules in terms of allowable combinations of speed, vertical and horizontal curve radius, and how these affect the need for ongoing maintenance to retain ride quality and passenger comfort is uncertain. 2. Critical velocity: on soft ground, train speeds can approach or exceed the speed of waves in the ground giving rise to resonance type effects and increased deformations. Instances of this phenomenon have been overcome using a number of mitigation measures such as the rebuilding of the embankment using compacted fill and geogrids, installation of a piled raft and ground treatment using either deep dry soil mixing or controlled modulus columns. The cost of such remedial measures can be very high, especially if they are taken primarily on a precautionary basis. However, many methods of analysis are unrefined (for example, linear elastic behaviour is often assumed or the heterogeneity of the ground, track support system and train dynamics are neglected), and conventional empirical methods may significantly overestimate dynamic amplification effects. Thus there is scope for achieving considerable economic benefits through the specification of more cost effective solutions, if the fundamental science can be better understood. 3. Ballast flight, ie the potential for ballast particles to become airborne during the passage of a very high speed train. This can cause extensive damage to the undersides of trains, and to the rails themselves if a small particle of ballast comes to rest on the rail and is then crushed. Investigations have shown that ballast flight depends on a combination of both mechanical and aerodynamic forces, and is therefore related to both train operating conditions and track layouts, but the exact conditions that give rise to it are not fully understood. The research idea is that, by understanding the underlying science associated with high speed railways and implementing it through appropriate, reasoned advances in engineering design, we can vastly improve on the effectiveness and reduce maintenance needs of ballasted railway track for line speeds up to at least 400 km/h.

The overall aim of this research is to use a combination of thermodynamic surface free energy and adhesion fracture energy measurements to understand, predict and enhance the resistance to moisture-damage of asphalt mixture pavement materials. Moisture-damage of asphalt mixtures is directly associated with the adhesive and cohesive properties of the material and how the presence of water affects these mechanisms. Although mechanical test procedures exist to quantify the moisture-damage of asphalt mixtures, they do not measure the fundamental material properties related to adhesion and cohesion. This study will use a combination of adhesive fracture energy measurements on bitumen-aggregate and bitumen-filler mastic-aggregate systems using monotonically-loaded tests together with intrinsic adhesion calculations based on thermodynamic surface free energy concepts to produce a step change in the moisture-damage performance and material screening of asphalt mixtures. The introduction and development of these new methods and novel approaches will provide the tools needed for the better selection and moisture-damage prediction of appropriate pavement materials. The study will involve collaboration between researchers working in the areas of pavement engineering materials and the mechanical engineering aspects of adhesion, adhesives and composites. This combined approach will allow the exceptionally high expertise in asphalt technology, moisture-damage characterisation, surface energy and adhesive bond testing and modelling to contribute effectively to improving the understanding and prediction of moisture-damage in asphalt mixtures and thereby provide a tool to achieve the project goal of enhancing moisture-damage performance.

The resilience of building and civil engineering structures is typically associated with the design of individual elements such that they have sufficient capacity or potential to react in an appropriate manner to adverse events. Traditionally this has been achieved by using 'robust' design procedures that focus on defining safety factors for individual adverse events and providing redundancy. As such, construction materials are designed to meet a prescribed specification; material degradation is viewed as inevitable and mitigation necessitates expensive maintenance regimes; ~£40 billion/year is spent in the UK on repair and maintenance of existing, mainly concrete, structures and ~$2.2 trillion/year is needed in the US to restore its infrastructure to good condition (grade B). More recently, based on a better understanding and knowledge of microbiological systems, materials that have the ability to adapt and respond to their environment have been developed. This fundamental change has the potential to facilitate the creation of a wide range of 'smart' materials and intelligent structures. This will include both autogenous and autonomic self-healing materials and adaptable, self-sensing and self-repairing structures. These materials can transform our infrastructure by embedding resilience in the components of these structures so that rather than being defined by individual events, they can evolve over their lifespan. To be truly self-healing, the material components will need to act synergistically over the range of time and length scales at which different forms of damage occur. Conglomerate materials, which comprise the majority of our infrastructure and built environment, form the focus of the proposed project. While current isolated international pockets of research activities on self-healing materials are on-going, most advances have been in other material fields and many have focussed on individual techniques and hence have only provided a partial solution to the inherent multi-dimensional nature of damage specific to construction materials with limited flexibility and multi-functionality. This proposal seeks to develop a multi-faceted self-healing approach that will be applicable to a wide range of conglomerates and their respective damage mechanisms. This proposal brings together a consortium of 11 academics from the Universities of Cardiff, Bath and Cambridge with the relevant skills and experience in structural and geotechnical engineering, materials chemistry, biology and materials science to develop and test the envisioned class of materials. The proposed work leverages on ground-breaking developments in these sciences in other sectors such as the pharmaceutical, medical and polymer composite industries. The technologies that are proposed are microbioloical and chemical healing at the micro- and meso-scale and crack control and prevention at the macro scale. This will be achieved through 4 work packages, three of which target the healing at the individual scales (micro/meso/macro) and the fourth which addresses the integration of the individual systems, their compatibility and methods of achieving healing of recurrent damage. This will then culminate in a number of field-trials in partnership with the project industrial collaborators to take this innovation closer to commercialisation. An integral part of this project will be the knowledge transfer activities and collaboration with other research centres throughout the world. This will ensure that the research is at the forefront of the global pursuit for intelligent infrastructure and will ensure that maximum impact is achieved. One of the primary outputs of the project will be the formation and establishment of a UK Virtual Centre of Excellence in Intelligent Construction Materials that will provide a national and international platform for facilitating dialogue and collaboration to enhance the global knowledge economy.

The Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre (IMCRC) will undertake a wide variety of work in the Manufacturing, Construction and product design areas. The work will be contained within 5 programmes:1. Transforming Organisations / Providing individuals, organisations, sectors and regions with the dynamic and innovative capability to thrive in a complex and uncertain future2. High Value Assets / Delivering tools, techniques and designs to maximise the through-life value of high capital cost, long life physical assets3. Healthy & Secure Future / Meeting the growing need for products & environments that promote health, safety and security4. Next Generation Technologies / The future materials, processes, production and information systems to deliver products to the customer5. Customised Products / The design and optimisation techniques to deliver customer specific products.Academics within the Loughborough IMCRC have an internationally leading track record in these areas and a history of strong collaborations to gear IMCRC capabilities with the complementary strengths of external groups.Innovative activities are increasingly distributed across the value chain. The impressive scope of the IMCRC helps us mirror this industrial reality, and enhances knowledge transfer. This advantage of the size and diversity of activities within the IMCRC compared with other smaller UK centres gives the Loughborough IMCRC a leading role in this technology and value chain integration area. Loughborough IMCRC as by far the biggest IMRC (in terms of number of academics, researchers and in funding) can take a more holistic approach and has the skills to generate, identify and integrate expertise from elsewhere as required. Therefore, a large proportion of the Centre funding (approximately 50%) will be allocated to Integration projects or Grand Challenges that cover a spectrum of expertise.The Centre covers a wide range of activities from Concept to Creation.The activities of the Centre will take place in collaboration with the world's best researchers in the UK and abroad. The academics within the Centre will be organised into 3 Research Units so that they can be co-ordinated effectively and can cooperate on Programmes.

Reliable drainage solutions are critical for ensuring the long-term and cost-effective provision of railway infrastructure. Water plays a significant role in the degradation of railway infrastructure and can cause poor track geometry and accelerated deterioration of ballast, with high associated maintenance and repair costs which inevitably get passed on to the end-user. Excessive amounts of water may also cause catastrophic failure of railway infrastructure systems, which represent a real threat to public safety. Climate change is predicted to result in more extreme weather and flash flood events. The railway drainage systems will therefore be put under severe strain with increased likelihood of disruption to rail services. Much of the UK railway drainage infrastructure is old and in need of repair or replacement. However, the UK railway industry is experiencing significant growth in the number of passengers and the amount of freight carried, which reduces the opportunities available to carry out maintenance. In light of these issues, railway drainage system modernisation is considered to be a key factor for improving railway network safety and capacity, and ensuring the infrastructure's resilience to changing weather and climate events. This project focuses on providing novel and easily installed railway drainage solutions which make use of lightweight and cost-effective 'new materials'. 'New materials' includes those recently developed as well as materials that can be newly applied within drainage systems. The project will consider a range of materials for use in this application, such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) which is a lightweight and strong material with good chemical resistance. The project includes a range of experimental testing, including trials of a new material drainage system within a full-scale railway track model, as well as advanced small-scale physical modelling using the University of Nottingham geotechnical centrifuge. Numerical models will also be developed to gain a better understanding of the effects of key parameters within the drainage system. An important component of the project is the development of tools which will allow for the assessment of the full lifecycle costs of the developed new material drainage solutions. These tools have the potential to help railway operators make informed decisions relating to the selection of track and drainage system maintenance and repair solutions. Advanced tools will also be developed which will provide a better understanding of the inter-relationships between railway drainage performance and other railway systems, including other infrastructure assets and operation services. The project benefits from the involvement of experts from railway industry, including URS, a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services within the railway sector, and ASPIN, who provide a range of consultancy services to the railway industry. The project will also benefit from access to information from Network Rail, the owner of the UK railway infrastructure, through proven links between the research team and representatives from Network Rail. The project fosters a multi-disciplinary approach to developing engineering solutions, with expertise from several technical areas, including geotechnics, transportation infrastructure design and performance as well as asset management. The successful completion of the project will allow the development of modern railway drainage solutions which incorporate new lightweight, easy to install, and cost-effective materials. The lifecycle cost assessment tools developed as part of this project will enable railway operators to make informed decisions about railway maintenance and repair, and ensure that end-uses of the railway get the best service possible.