PUBLICATIONS

Soil movement in the UK: Impacts on critical infrastructure

Pritchard, O.G., Hallett, S.H. and Farewell, T.S.

Almost all of the systems/structures related to critical infrastructure (CI) of the United Kingdom (UK) are in contact with the soil substrate. Therefore how the ground reacts to them both naturally and as a result of their [CI] impact being placed upon them needs to be understood. The main causes of ground movement and associated soil types within the UK have been identified as follows:

  • Clay – Shrink/Swell
  • Sand – Erosion
  • Peat – Shrinkage
  • Silt – Frost heave
  • Alluvial soils – Compressibility
  • Sulfate Bearing soils – Ground heave

This review aims to describe the following soil processes and understand their interaction with critical infrastructure systems within the UK in light of a changing UK climate. Climate change is highlighted as being the main driver of a changing risk to infrastructure systems if future climate predictions are proven correct.

Soil movement in the UK: Impacts on critical infrastructure (pdf, 4.1 MB) 74pp. Working paper, ITRC/National Soil Resources Institute Cranfield University, UK, 2013.

RESEARCH THEMES

ENERGY
TRANSPORT
WATER
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
DEMOGRAPHICS
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMICS
INFRASTRUCTURE
GOVERNANCE
NISMOD
RISK AND
RESILIENCE
RESEARCH SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
DATABASES