Professor Colin Smith
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Professor in Geotechnical Engineering
+44 114 222 5717
Full contact details
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room E106
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
91Ö±²¥
S1 3JD
- Profile
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My research focuses on the development of optimisation-based tools for geotechnical analysis and design together with novel low-carbon construction techniques.
Prof. Colin Smith
Colin Smith graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1987. He joined the Cambridge Soil Mechanics research group in the same year and completed a PhD in 1991. Following two years as a research associate at Cambridge he joined the Department in 1992.
He is co-developer of the novel Discontinuity Layout Optimisation (DLO) numerical limit analysis method and is co-founder and director of University spin-out company , where he led the development of the DLO based ultimate limit state analysis and design software . The software rapidly analyses the safety of geotechnical constructions and is now in use by over 100 companies and ~240 Universities across the world. It is also used within several taught modules at 91Ö±²¥.
He currently teaches geotechnical design modules within the Department at Level 3 and MSc level.
His research is aimed at developing enhanced limit analysis techniques and in the application of robust optimization techniques to geotechnical design.
He is also researching novel low carbon geotechnical construction techniques. Adopting the broad paradigm of in-situ resource utilization, this work seeks to ‘go back to the future’ combining traditional approaches (including masonry) with digital technology to achieve modern standards of engineering with minimal external material inputs. This work combines experimental studies with numerical modelling.
His current research includes:
- Limit analysis and optimisation in geotechnics: providing easy-to-use tools for engineers to identify critical collapse mechanisms and associated margins of safety.
- Low-carbon geotechnical construction through numerical design optimisation and the application of low-impact construction techniques. This encompasses traditional methods using soil and rock, application of unsaturated soil strength, and development of rigorous chemistry based bio-additive techniques for soil improvement.
- Masonry arch bridge analysis, modelling and assessment.
Further information may be found in his dedicated .
His research at 91Ö±²¥ has been funded by EPSRC, NERC and industry.
- Publications
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Books
- Guidance on the Assessment of Masonry Arch Bridges.
- LTSN engineering mini-project report: Enhancing transferable skills development in group projects through the use of training exercises.
Journal articles
- . Computers & Structures, 305, 107563-107563.
- . Computers and Geotechnics, 163, 105710-105710.
- . Engineering Structures, 292, 116531-116531.
- . Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 66(7).
- . Acta Geotechnica, 18(6), 3213-3227.
- . Acta Geotechnica, 18(1), 355-378.
- . International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering.
- . International Journal of Solids and Structures, 244-245.
- . Scientific Reports, 12(1).
- . ³Òé´Ç³Ù±ð³¦³ó²Ô¾±±ç³Ü±ð, 72(6), 486-495.
- . Environmental Science & Technology, 54(21), 13963-13972.
- . Journal of Hydrology, 590.
- . Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 57(3), 423-432.
- . Procedia CIRP, 82, 37-42.
- . Journal of Hydrology, 573, 872-884.
- . Soil Use and Management, 34(4), 563-574.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering, 1-36.
- . Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 55(6), 829-838.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 170(4), 133-134.
- . International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, 1-14.
- . Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 44(4), 504-514.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 168(4), 155-168.
- . ³Òé´Ç³Ù±ð³¦³ó²Ô¾±±ç³Ü±ð Letters , 5(4), 243-249.
- . Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 168(3), 89-89.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 168(3), 89-89.
- . International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 71, 1-11.
- . Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 470(2168), ---.
- . Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 50(7), 705-715.
- . Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 469(2155).
- Identification of rotational failure mechanisms in cohesive media using discontinuity layout optimization. Geotechnique: International Journal of Soil Mechanics, 63(14), 1194-1208.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Bridge Engineering, 165(3), 147-157.
- . Geotechnique Letters, 2(4-6), 205-208.
- . Geosynthetics International, 19(2), 133-146.
- . HKIE Transactions Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, 19(4), 2-10.
- Ultimate limit state design to Eurocode 7 using numerical methods Part II: Proposed design procedure and application. Ground Engineering, 44(11), 24-29.
- Ultimate limit state design to Eurocode 7 using numerical methods Part I: Methodology and theory. Ground Engineering, 44(10), 25-30.
- . Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 31(10), 1311-1323.
- Lateral breakout resistance of shallowly embedded offshore pipelines. Procedia Engineering, 14, 1690-1695.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 163(3), 155-166.
- . Computers and Geotechnics, 37(4), 504-514.
- Soil structure revolution. Structural Engineer, 88(3), 18-22.
- . Proceedings Royal Society A, 463(2086), 2461-2484.
- . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Bridge Engineering, 159, 97-103.
- . Transport in Porous Media, 63(1), 223-237.
- Erratum: Complete limiting stress solutions for the bearing rapacity of strip footings on a Mohr-Coulomb soil (³Òé´Ç³Ù±ð³¦³ó²Ô¾±±ç³Ü±ð (2005) 55 8 (607-612)). Geotechnique, 56(1), 77.
- . Journal of Bridge Engineering, 11(2), 257-261.
- . Water Research, 39(20), 5099-5111.
- . Geotechnique, 55(8), 607-612.
- . Environmental Science & Technology, 37, 1905-1911.
- The impact of contaminated land on the groundwater quality in the Wolverhampton conurbation. Groundwater Quality: Natural and Enhanced Restoration of Groundwater Pollution, IAHS Special Publication No. 275, 65-70.
- . Water Research, 36(7), 1843-1853.
- . Engineering Geology, 60(1-4), 253-261.
- Permeability of compacted colliery spoil - a parametric study. Engineering Geology, 53, 187-193.
- The bearing capacity of saline ice sheets: Centrifugal modelling. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 36(3), 467.
- Limit loads for an anchor/trapdoor embedded in an associative Coulomb soil. INT J NUMER ANAL MET, 22(11), 855-865.
- A thermally controlled test chamber for centrifuge and laboratory experiments. ASTM Journal of Geotechnical Testing, 19(4), 441-445.
Chapters
- , Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (pp. 272-284). Springer Nature Switzerland
- , Geotechnical Engineering Challenges to Meet Current and Emerging Needs of Society (pp. 3450-3454). CRC Press
- , Geotechnical Engineering Challenges to Meet Current and Emerging Needs of Society (pp. 1513-1516). CRC Press
- , Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems (pp. 1400-1407). CRC Press
- , Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems (pp. 1360-1367). CRC Press
- , Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems (pp. 1376-1383). CRC Press
- Ultimate uplift capacity of buried pipelines in undrained clay, Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics III (pp. 357-362).
- Squeezing bearing capacity and effects of increasing strength with depth, Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics III (pp. 1299-1304).
- , Direct Methods for Limit States in Structures and Materials (pp. 157-180). Springer Netherlands
- In Arnold P, Fenton GA, Hicks MA, Schweckendiek T & Simpson B (Ed.), Modern Geotechnical Design Codes of Practice (pp. 195-213). IOS Press
- , Sustainable Brownfield Regeneration: Liveable Places from Problem Spaces (pp. 237-262).
- Geotechnical testing for assessment of masonry arch bridges In McKibbins LD (Ed.), Masonry Arch Bridges: Condition Appraisal and Remedial Treatment Ciria
- Cold regions' engineering In Taylor RN (Ed.), Geotechnical Centrifuge Technology (pp. 264-292). Routledge
- In Cardoso AS, Borges JL, Costa PA, Gomes AT, Marques JC & Vieira CS (Ed.) CRC Press
Conference proceedings papers
- . IABSE Reports, 10 April 2024 - 12 April 2024.
- (pp 293-302)
- . 8th European Congress on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering
- . E3S Web of Conferences, Vol. 195. Lisboa, Portugal (online), 19 October 2020 - 21 October 2020.
- . E3S Web of Conferences, Vol. 195. Lisboa, Portugal (online), 19 October 2020 - 21 October 2020.
- . Geo-Congress 2020
- . Geo-Congress 2020
- (pp 315-322)
- (pp 323-330)
- (pp 307-314)
- . . Proceedings of the XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering - ECSMGE(1). Reykjavik, Iceland, 1 September 2019 - 1 September 2019.
- . 17th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2019 - Proceedings, Vol. 2019-September
- . 17th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2019 - Proceedings, Vol. 2019-September
- Identification of soil stress-strain response from full field displacement measurements in plane strain model tests. Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, Vol. 2 (pp 835-840). London, 17 July 2018 - 17 July 2018.
- . Proceedings of the 9th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (NUMGE 2018), Vol. 2 (pp 1377-1382). Porto, Portugal, 25 June 2018 - 25 June 2018.
- Enhanced interpretation of geotechnical limit analysis solutions using Discontinuity Layout Optimization. 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (pp 851-854). Seoul, Korea, 17 September 2017 - 17 September 2017.
- Use of a physics engine to model soil filled masonry arch bridges. Proc. 8th International Arch Bridges Conference. Wroclaw
- Behaviour of backfilled masonry arch bridges subjected to cyclic loading. Proc. 8th International Arch Bridges Conference. Wroclaw
- Proposed permissible limit state assessment criteria for masonry arch bridges. Proc. 8th International Arch Bridges Conference. Wroclaw
- Plane strain capacity of a two-layered clay: Squeezing of upper layer. Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development - Proceedings of the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2015, Vol. 7 (pp 4043-4048)
- (pp 1299-1304)
- (pp 357-362)
- Investigation of the shear strength of unsaturated sand using a modified direct shear apparatus. Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development - Proceedings of the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2015, Vol. 6 (pp 3353-3357)
- SLS analysis of soil-structure interaction using direct methods. Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development - Proceedings of the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2015, Vol. 7 (pp 4179-4184)
- Use of digital image correlation to directly derive soil stress-strain response from physical model test data. Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development - Proceedings of the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2015, Vol. 7 (pp 3881-3886)
- Application of limit analysis in unsaturated soils: Numerical and experimental study of bearing capacity. Unsaturated Soils: Research and Applications - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, UNSAT 2014, Vol. 2 (pp 1757-1762)
- (pp 569-637)
- . Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering, NUMGE 2014, Vol. 2 (pp 989-994)
- Recent advances in the application of discontinuity layout optimization to geotechnical limit analysis problems. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering, NUMGE 2014, Vol. 1 (pp 415-420)
- A road-map for the assessment of masonry arch bridges. 7th International Arch Bridges Conference (pp 605-612). Croatia
- Modelling soil-structure interaction in masonry arch bridges. 7th International Arch Bridges Conference (pp 613-620). Croatia
- . Soil Behavior and Geo-Micromechanics
- Analysis of the stability of sheet pile walls using discontinuity layout optimization. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (pp 163-168)
- Application of discontinuity layout optimization to problems involving non-associative friction. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (pp 45-50)
- Application of discontinuity layout optimization to geotechnical limit analysis problems. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (pp 169-174)
- Ultimate limit state design to Eurocode 7 using numerical methods. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (pp 947-952)
- Advances in computational limit state analysis and design. Advances in Analysis, Modeling, & Design, Proceedings of the GeoFlorida 2010 Conference. West Palm Beach
- Systematic identification of yield-line patterns in slabs. Concrete Communication Symposioum (pp 2). Leeds
- Geotechnical aspects of masonry arch bridges. Advances in Transportation Geotechnics (pp 459-466). Nottingham
- On the analogy between structural layout optimization and plastic limit analysis formulations. 8th World Congress in Computational Mechanics (pp 2-2). Venice
- Limit analysis of the stability of foundations on inclined ground. 2nd International Conference on Foundations, ICOF 2008 (pp 1683-1692). 2008
- Discontinuity layout optimization: A new numerical procedure for upper bound limit analysis. IX International Conference on Computational Plasticity: COMPLAS IX (pp 170-173). Barcelona
- New upper bound solutions for layered soil bearing capacity problems using discontinuity layout optimization. 10th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics (pp 250-255). Brisbane
- Application of limit analysis to soil-structure interaction problems. 10th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics (pp 196-201). Brisbane
- Computational limit analysis of soil-arch interaction in masonry arch bridges. 5th International Arch Bridges Conference (pp 633-640). Madeira
- Small and large-scale experimental studies of soil-arch interaction in masonry bridges. 5th International Arch Bridges Conference (pp 381-388). Madeira
- An experimental study of soil-arch interaction in masonry bridges. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management (pp 8-8). Porto
- Wolverhampton case study of the characterisation of groundwater interaction with contaminated soils. 10th Congress of the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment. Nottingham
- Full scale modelling of soil-structure interaction in masonry arch bridges. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, Vol. 1-2 (pp 247-252)
- Physical and chemical properties of acid tars. ConSoil 2005. Bordeaux
- Reactive flow and mixing in uniform and tortuous flow fields. ACME 2005, Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering Conference (pp 67-70). 91Ö±²¥
- Lattice gas simulations of reactive flow in porous media: Preliminary results. ACME 2004, Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering Conference. Cardiff
- Geotechnical issues in the analysis of masonry arch bridges. 4th International Arch Bridges Conference (pp 343-352). Barcelona
- SUBR:IM work package H: Restoration of acid tar lagoons. CL:AIRE Annual Project Conference 2004. London
- Restoration of acid tar lagoons - an inclusive approach. SCI/RSC Conference: Contaminated Land - Achievements & Aspirations. Loughborough
- Transverse dispersion-it’s role in natural attenuation. European Conference on Natural Attenuation (pp 39-42). Frankfurt, Germany, 15 October 2002 - 17 October 2002.
- An investigation into the potential for groundwater contamination as a result of industrial dereliction. 9th Congress of the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment (pp 1520-1528). Cape Town
- Leachate attenuation characteristics of colliery spoil. Groundwater Quality: Natural and Enhanced Restoration of Groundwater Pollution, IAHS Special Publication No. 2750144-7815 (pp 159-164). 91Ö±²¥
- A non-invasive imaging technique to investigate the solute transport in porous media. Groundwater Quality: Natural and Enhanced Restoration of Groundwater Pollution. S.F. Thornton & S.E. Oswald (eds), IAHS Publication 275 (pp 277-282). 91Ö±²¥, UK
- The influence of effective stress on the sorption characteristics of bentonite. 15th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (pp 1851-1854). Istanbul, Vol. 3
- Evaluation of leaching tests in contaminated land studies. 3rd BGA Conference on Geoenvironmental Engineering. Edinburgh
- Comparison of leachate attenuation characteristics of colliery spoils in field, column and batch tests. 3rd BGA Conference on Geoenvironmental Engineering. Edinburgh
- Centrifuge modelling of frost heave of pipelines (pp 91-96)
- Preliminary tests of heave and settlement of soils under one cycle of freeze-thaw in closed system on a small centrifuge. Proc. 6th International Conference on Permafrost, Vol. II (pp 1070-1072). Beijing
Patents
Reports
Preprints
- Research group
- Grants
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Exploiting the resilience of masonry arch bridge infrastructure
The goal of this project is to provide those responsible for the management of bridges with a powerful suite of analysis modelling tools and a robust overarching multi-level framework capable of being applied to the diverse population of masonry arch bridges in-service today (i.e. undamaged, damaged and repaired).
Practical 3D model of masonry arch bridges and tunnel linings
The decision support tools currently used by bridge owners and their consultants tend to be highly simplified, and incapable of identifying bridges which are likely to deteriorate under traffic loads, and of diagnosing the causes of a range of commonly encountered defects...
The global soil stabilisation market is forecast to grow from $25 billion in 2019 to $35 billion by 2027 driven primarily by infrastructure and construction activities and exacerbated by the increasingly urgent need to adapt to climate change, flood risk and sea-level rise. Soil chemical stabilisation (where soil is mixed with an additive to enhance its strength) is forecast to be the fastest growing sector of the market, taking just under half the share. However the most widely-used additives, cement and lime, suffer from significant carbon and energy costs and substantial environmental impacts.
Such concerns have stimulated interest in biologically-derived alternatives as a low-carbon sustainable solution. There is existing evidence that naturally sourced biopolymers have significant potential, achieving higher strength in stabilised soils with lower additive mass than cement and at similar cost. However, widespread uptake of biopolymers is impeded by the fact that they generally suffer from poor water resistance and poor resistance to biodegradation over time. If these challenges can be addressed, biopolymers could achieve a transformational impact on soil stabilisation. This cross-disciplinary project aims to investigate a number of novel strategies to achieve this goal, designing solutions from the molecular level upwards.
- Professional activities and memberships
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Co-founder and Director of the University spin-out company . The company specialises in the development of novel analysis and design software applications which make use of methods developed in the University. LimitState software is now used by >150 industry organizations in >30 countries.
Secretary of International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee TC205 Safety and Serviceability in Geotechnical Design (2010-2017).
Member of Eurocode 7 evolution group EG4, working groups WG1-TG2, WG7, WG3-TG6 (reinforced soil), TGD1.6 (numerical methods) (2011 – present).
Recipient of the ICE Baker Medal (2007) published journal papers.
- PhD opportunities
Design Optimization in Geotechnical Engineering
This project is concerned with the development of numerical methods for the design optimization of earthworks, foundations and retaining structures combining general purpose optimization techniques developed for analysis (e.g. http://www.limitstate.com/geo) and design. An aptitude for computer programming would be essential for this project.
If you're interested in one of these projects, or would like to self-propose a project, please contact Colin at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.