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COMPETITIONHANDOUTS(TERRE Network Outreach initiative)
Website: www.terre-etn.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1743644062598723/
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
PREFACE
Welcome to the TERRE European Schools Competition!
This European school competition has been organised by members of TERRE which is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Innovative Training Networks. The school competition is organized as one of the main outreach activity to school students
across Europe. The school competition aims to propagate the importance of looking out for sustainable engineering
solutions and inspire young school students towards geotechnical engineering. The competition is organized by the early
stage researchers (ESRs) in the network who are pursuing PhDs in different institutions across United Kingdom and Europe.
The ESRs have designed the general structure of school competition and hope that the school competition would be a
successful initiative taken by them to promote their ideas of sustainable geotechnics to school students. The participating
schools are from different countries across Europe namely United Kingdom, France, Spain and Netherlands. The school
pupils are paired between two schools across two different countries encouraging networking between school students.
This networking would boost the confidence of the school students in interacting as a team, improve communication skills
and more importantly share knowledge across borders.
As a part of competition, the teams need to find a genuine problem which needs an engineer’s attention and come up with
a sustainable solution. The solution shall be presented in form of a poster and explain the solution in form of audio or video
presentation. The ESRs then would evaluate each team’s submission and judge a winner. The winning team is made to
present their work in TERRE Meeting being held at TU Delft, Netherlands. The school competition gives a unique opportunity
for the school students to get inspired in research and development.
At this point, all ESRs thank all the participating students and schools who have enrolled for this competition and wish the
school students all the very best for the competition.
The ESRs extend special thanks to Ms. Katharine Houston who has been a constant support and inspiration in organizing
this school competition.
The team:
• Roberta Dainese
• Riccardo Scarfone
• Alessia Cuccurullo
• Elodie Coudert
• Jacopo Zannin
• Sravan Muguda Viswanath
• Ana Sofia Dias
• Lorenzo Rossi
• Abhijith Chandra Kamath
• Alessandro Fraccica
• Emmanuel Salifu
• Javier Gonzalez Castejon
• Gianluca Speranza
• Raniero Beber
• Rahmat Kazemi Firouzjaei
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
TERRE European Schools Competition
“Sustainable Engineering Solutions to our Changing Climate”
Vamos! Som-hi! Allez - c’est parti! Daar gaan we! …And we’re off!
The wait is over! Now you have learned about geotechnical engineering and eco-construction, and have got in
touch with your team mates, you are ready to become Engineers!
In this document you will find everything you need to take part in the TERRE European Schools Competition, so
please take your time to read it carefully. Detailed rules and regulations are on the following page.
What we need you to do…
You will find five Case Studies further on in this guide. The case studies all tie in to the presentations you
received recently from the PhD students. If you need a reminder of the contents of the presentation, notes
have been added to the end of this guide.
Your team needs to choose one of these case studies to tackle. Which one your team decides to work on is
entirely up to you! Make sure you read your case study carefully, so you understand:
• the problems represented in the case study
• how these problems relate to the technical themes raised in the presentation Once you have a clear understanding of these issues you need to:
• research your chosen problem within your case study
• design a solution to a problem as presented in the case study
• create an A1-sized poster that presents an identification and analysis of your chosen problem and your solution
• write a concise workload sharing document about how you collaborated together with your team (more details overleaf).
In addition, you are encouraged to produce any other media that helps to communicate your solution. These
can include:
• a video showing an experiment that demonstrates a technical aspect of your problem and/or solution
• a photo story
• a written story/comic strip
• a video-ed interview
• anything else you can think of! We need you to show us that you understand the theory and principles taught to you in the presentations. But
remember – the competition is about teamwork and creativity! We want you to work together to use your
technical understanding and your creativity to solve these problems. That’s what engineering is all about!
**The deadline for your submission is Friday 15th December. The winners will be revealed in
early January 2018.**
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
Competition Entries – Rules and Regulations
Your submissions need to comply with the following rules. Any entry not conforming to these rules will
be disqualified, so read carefully!
By the closing date (15th December):
• Each team must create a poster containing: presentation of the case study and background, analysis of the problem and presentation of a possible solution. They have to submit the poster and any other media to explain the poster and support their ideas. This can be a word file with just a brief explanation, or a video, the video of an experiment, a photo album/graphic novel, an interview or any other media that they can think of to effectively transmit their message. What the teams create will be evaluated for its effectiveness in transmitting the concept and its creativity.
• All submissions must be in English.
• The poster must be A1 format and must be sent as a .pdf file. The additional material must be in the following formats:
Text files/ Images Audio Video
.pdf .mp4, .wav [or any other format easily reproduced by Windows Media Player]
.avi [or any other format easily reproduced by Windows Media Player]
If you want to use any other format, contact the organisers in advance through the Facebook page.
• It is compulsory that both the sub-teams collaborate in the creation of the poster and associated material. Each team must submit a brief workload sharing document: a brief Word or Excel
document stating how the workload was split among participants (i.e. all together via Skype: analysis of
the causes and develop possible solution. Then group A: design the poster, group B: made the video).
• The deadline for submitting the poster and additional material (including the workload sharing document) is the 15th of December. They must be submitted by a member of the team to the competition email address: [email protected].
The winning groups will be announced on the Competition Facebook Page and by email by the 5th of January
2018.
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
Competition Entries – Assessment Criteria
The winning team will be selected by the Judging Panel, made up of the TERRE PhD students. Each project will
be evaluated using the following criteria.
Task Max
Score
POSTER
Analysis of the background and identification of the
problem(s)
20
Evaluation of the solution/mitigation plan/preventive
measures proposed:
• Effectiveness
• Technical content
• Focus on the sustainability of the project
15
10
15
PRESENTATION
• Creativity
• Effectiveness in communicating the solution and the
value of the solution proposed
15
15
COLLABORATION
Capability of working in groups and collaborating among
groups from different countries, in an environment of mutual
respect and tolerance
(it will be evaluated based on the workload sharing
document and on evident group collaboration in the
additional material and poster (i.e. if both the groups appear
in a video presentation)
10
MAX TOTAL SCORE 100
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
The Prize
The winning team will be invited to present their poster to the TERRE Network at the next TERRE School, to be
held in Delft, The Netherlands in April 2018. Here the winning sub-teams will get the chance also to meet each
other in person after their successful collaboration!
If you need any help…
Visit the Facebook Group!
The TERRE PhD students are always there to help you. If you are stuck on any technical point, want some
pointers on where to research your case study, want to check if your additional media is viable, etc., get in touch!
We hope you enjoy your experience as part of a new generation of European Engineers! We can’t wait to see
your great ideas!
Good luck!
Case Study 1 –
DESIGN A SUSTAINABLE CLASSROOM
Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future
What types of materials are used to build
your classroom ?
- Concrete walls?
- Steel desks?
- Plastic everywhere?
A Sustainable Classroom
Look around you!
So why not rebuild your classroom in a sustainable way?
These are not environmentally-friendly materials
Learn from nature!
In recent years technology has made huge developments just by looking deeper into how nature works and trying to copy various natural systems in order to develop a sustainable solution to a problem.
This process is called BIO-MIMICRY !
Check out the videos below to get a better idea of what bio-mimicry is…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBUpnG1G4yQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHb_XNgIHFY
A Sustainable Classroom
Bio-Mimicry Large and Small...
We can use this approach when we are facing very different problemsat different scales.
If we talk about, for example, architecture and urban planning we may need to incorporate more green spaces into our constructions…
Here are some other examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlrodpEsRpU
A Sustainable Classroom
Bio-Mimicry across scales
We can use this approach when we are facing very different problemsat different scales.
Another challenge is to tackle very specific problems to create greatinventions for a sustainable development!
Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5i_QJyL3mI
A Sustainable Classroom
Ask yourself the following question:
How would nature solve this?
A Sustainable Classroom
Look at the pictures for some examples of biomimicry.
Innovation inspired by nature!
A Sustainable Classroom
Remember the lesson:
Learning from termites how to create strong sustainable buildings
A Sustainable Classroom
Remember the lesson:
Learning from the roots of trees or fungi how to reinforce materials
So here is your challenge:
To design a carbon friendly classroom
inspired by nature!
A Sustainable Classroom
Designing a carbon friendly classroom inspired by nature…
A Sustainable Classroom
Here are some hints:
➢ Choose important elements of your classroom or school building.
➢ Think about which materials are sustainable: recycled, reused or others.
➢ Use your creativity to rethink and reinvent materials and tools making
them more sustainable.
➢ Don’t forget that sustainable means learning from nature but also being
socially just and economically viable.
➢ Make a poster (compulsory) but also why not using graphic, drawing,
photography, video, writing etc... to describe us your new invention!
And now... free your creativity !!
The next four case studies all involve a catastrophic event. But they all
present different and unique problems for you to solve! Have a read of each,
the instructions for how to tackle these case studies are found at the end of
Case Study 5.
Case Study 2 – Genova Floods
Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future
ProblemEvery 5-10 years terrible flooding occurs in Genova, causing deaths and destruction. The
most recent ones happened in 2011 and 2014 (Google them!)
How can we reduce their frequency and impact?
2011
Genova:
• Very high precipitationin the area which has increased in frequencyin recent decades due to climate change.
• In 2011 300mm of rainfell in 5-6 hours… This amount of rain usuallyfalls over 6 months!
Flooding!This heavy rain caused terrible flooding in Genova… some videos:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaI7qTSZJ_o
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNSDVTn1F0M&list=PL4D32201F3BAA171F
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy0xwazRwnI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIZS3rDjJjg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHwru5oaNFA
Just google ‘Genova floodings’ or go on youtube to find dozens of videos and pictures…
WHY IS GENOVA SO FREQUENTLY FLOODED? IS IT NATURAL? OR DUE TO HUMAN INTERFERENCE?
Two main rivers in the area:Torrente PolceveraTorrente Bisagno
They collect water from all the mountains behind the Genova area and discharge it in the only flat area of the region, that is completely occupied by….GENOVA!
Another smaller river ‘Torrente Fareaggiano’ join the Bisagno in Genova.Last part of the river is also underground, where it converges with the Bisagno!
The whole city occupies the entire outlet of the river…
And the ‘real’ outlet, comprehensive of the last part of the river, is completely underground!!
HUMAN INTERFERENCE
A. “Stati Sardi di Terraferma”1815–1821 (Kingdom of Savoy
B. 1878
C. 1907
D. 1939 (“Tavolette IGMI”, Italian Geographycal Military Institute maps)
Increased anthropisation occupied and covered in concrete spaces that were vital for the river!
When the rain is too intense the rivers naturally flood an ‘area of respect’ around their natural basin.
However all the ‘area of respect’ is constructed and sealed with concrete in Genova…. Area of respect of Bisagno
It was the area where the most important damage occurred, and where people lost their lives.
Other problems?• Go on Google Maps and follow the paths of
the Turrents Bisagno and Polcevera… All the area of respect of the rivers is built on and full of houses and concrete!!
• The river is imprisoned in a cage of concrete and in a fixed route… Where can it flood when the precipitation is very severe? How can the water enter the soil if everything is covered in concrete?
• Another issue that needs to be taken into consideration: clogging. These canals are easily clogged with debris swept in by rain, like leaves, soil, entire trees, rocks, garbage, etc.etc… What will happen if this debris goes underground at the outlet of the river and clogs its only route of discharge into the sea?
Possible solutions?• Can some “Green solution” be used to save Genova from future
floods? ( Remember the lectures **Berlin)
• Sustainable changes in Urban Planning?
• Can land management help in controlling the Debris?
Hint! Let’s not incarcerate the rivers (and our selves) in concrete, but leave space to move and flood, and increase the amount of rain that
enters the soil instead of flowing overgrown and into the river!
Case Study 3 – Refrontolo
Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future
Refrontolo, Veneto, Italy
What’s there?
But then…
A debris flow occurred..
2nd August 2014
Unusually heavy rainfall!
4 dead and 20 injured
The rainfall
Flow/time
00:45 02/0822:30 02/08 time
200 x 2500 m3
The rain caused flash-floods:• dragging mud, blocks and debris• producing a powerful and
destructive current
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=43f_1407080701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOTFeWkTUr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qjV--hyXqo
So what happened, and why?
You can Google the event and find lots more information…
Hint! Remember topography!
The local topography and the way humans use the land play an important role in this extreme event…
What caused the debris flow?
Why were the consequences so bad?
Did human behaviour contribute to the problem?
How could we reduce the consequences (to the people, Refrontolo, and the planet) now and in the future?
Questions to consider…
Case Study 4 – Madeira Floods
Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future
Madeira, Portugal
Funchal
What’s there?
But then…
Flooding!
20th February 2010
48 dead and 6 missing persons
Losses of US$ 1.9 billion
Flooding!Before...
After...
Rainstorm in Funchal with a return
period of 290 years
Caused flash-floods• dragging mud, blocks and debris• producing a powerful and
destructive current
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlWAoxnwuFM
The Rainfall20th Feb
30cm
1m2
• This island as a Mediterranean type climate
• The northern part of the island is more humid and the wind blows from the south.
• The rainfall increases with elevation.
http://www.dsd.gov.hk/EN/Files/flood_prevention/FAQ_Glossary02.pdf
Lots of useful information…
The topography• volcanic origin• deep valleys• steep slopes and scarps
Hint! Maybe we can check on google maps!
Basins:• mean slopes varying between
28 and 37 %• sometimes slopes over 50 %
Ribeira Brava
Funchal
Questions to think about…
• What caused the flood?
• Why were the consequences so bad?
• What impact did human activity have?
• How could we reduce the consequences (to the people , Madeira and the planet) now and in the future?
Case Study 5– The Great Sheffield Floods 2007
Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future
The Background
Destructive floods occured in many parts of the United Kingdom during the summer of 2007.
This was due to severe weather conditions. The rainfall records were broken across Northern England! The rainfall caused widespread, localized flooding.
Heavy showers, thunderstorms and cloudy conditions prevented flooded areas from drying out – Britain is a damp, humid place!
The causes Thunderstorms
Cloudy and humid weather
Heavy rainfalls
+ TimeEverything took place within a very short time.A matter of days!
RemarksThe average rainfall across the country was 140 mm.
What does that mean ?
1 m
1 m
14 cm
40 cm
However this is just the average.In some places it could go up to 40 cm or more!
16
0 c
m
140 mm = 140 l/m2 = 140 dm3/m2 = (10 dm x 10 dm x1.4 dm)/m2
1dm = 10 cm
Where?What Sheffield looks like:
Calm place with lots of green places around, many trees and natural parks
Hilly with some surrounding mountains where you can go hiking
And rivers acting as a natural source of water – beautiful!
Why?But all that glitters is not gold…
The surroundings hills make Sheffield a sort of “sink drain”: an ideal place for water to concentrate.
Rivers can act as “highways for water flow” and when they get flooded they can become dangerous!
The humid weather and atmosphere of the place does not help the land to dry out after heavy rainfall
How?
The rainfall starts… and it goes on and on…
The rivers reach their capacity and overflow…
Water starts to flow, moving to lower-lying areas…
So what do you get?
Flooding!Before After
The New Testament Church of God at Nursery street, Sheffield
The Disaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_floods#South_Yorkshire
https://getrevising.co.uk/grids/sheffield-floods-2007-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSqh1-d7edc
Hint! Take a look… Interesting info…
Consequences...
Something must be done in order to prevent it from happening again…
• 3 people died• 1000 evacuated• People air lifted from their homes• £1 billion worth of damage• M1 motorway closed• 48000 homes effected• Costs to businesses £75,000-£112,000• Railways flooded• 13000 without power• 1200 homes flooded
Prevention
The problem… We do not want water to flood inhabited areas.
But the water needs to go somewhere!
Some solutions:
• Divert the natural course of water! But how..?• Redirect the water to artificial catchment areas,
away from the community! But how..?• What other things could be done to prevent the city
from flooding? How could you make these solutions sustainable? The embankments act
as small temporary “dams”
Hints and things to think about…
• Find on a topographic map of the Sheffield area (you can use this one http://en-gb.topographic-map.com/places/Sheffield-927994/) the main rivers and mountains and draw the areas you think are prone to flooding.
• In order to do this it might be helpful to draw lines connecting the lowest and highest points of the area. This is given in the map with different colours.
• What can engineers do to prevent floods in Sheffield? • Is what they do sustainable? How could sustainability be
improved? • What would you do?
Over to you…
So you’ve read the four ‘event’ case
studies and would like to tackle one
of them? Read these pages for some
things to get you on the right track!
GoogleFollow the links in the case studies as a starting off point to your own research. Use Google to understand the case studies in detail and to discover any interesting problems to solve!
Now you have two choicesYou can look at the event as a whole (large scale), or find one particular consequence (small scale) that the event triggered.
• Large Scale: city wide - what was the background of the event, what happened to the city as a whole, what could be done across the city to protect it from future events?
• Small Scale: local geotechnical event such as a landslide, embankment collapse, etc. - what was the background to this particular problem, what happened, what could be done to prevent this particular problem from happening again?
Remember the lectures
POSTEROnce you’ve decided on your case study and the particular problem you want to solve, you can create your poster and other materials!
Outline the problem you are going to solve, why the problem occurred, and how you would stop it from happening again.And remember – sustainability is the key to modern engineering! Make sure your solution is low carbon!
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
LECTURE NOTES
WHAT IS ENGINEERING? In simple terminology, engineering is use of mathematics, physics, chemistry and other practical knowledge in inventing,
innovating and developing structures, machines, tools, components, materials and many other complex systems. The
discipline of engineering is extremely broad and and compasses wide range of specialized fields like civil, mechanical,
electrical and many more. The term Engineering is derived from the Latin ingenium, meaning "cleverness" and ingeniare,
meaning "to contrive, devise”.
WHAT DO ENGINEERS DO? Engineers design. They create. They explore. They innovate. Engineers come in all shapes and sizes. They receive
education and training in many different fields. They work in many different environments. Engineers create products used
in our every-day lives, and rovers that landed on Mars.
WHAT’S GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING? Geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil engineering which deals with understanding soil mechanics and how to solve
the problems encountered by man with soil. For mankind, soil plays an important part in his life. As a kid, every kid wants
to play with it. For a farmer, it is his asset where his crops are grown. While for a geotechnical engineer, soil is a material
which he has to explore, understand and work with it. Any civil engineering project has to be invariably placed on soil. It is
important to know whether can soil is capable to withstand it or not. Modern civil engineering has seen complex buildings
with large skyscrapers, hence understanding how soil behaves becomes an important engineering understanding for civil
engineers.
WHAT IS SOIL? Rocks are broken by earthquakes and volcanoes. Rain, frost, sun, wind, water and ice all help to break up the rocks. It takes
thousands and thousands of years for the rocks to turn into soil. Soil is made up of finely ground rock particles. There are
three main types: clay, silt, and sand. Each kind can be identified by the size of its particles.
Clay particles are the smallest and lightest. When suspended in water, clay particles are generally the last to settle on the
bottom. The texture is sticky when moist, but hardens and cracks when dry
Silt particles are medium-sized. The texture is smooth and slippery. When suspended in water, silt particles will settle after
sand, but before clay. When moist, silt cannot be pressed together to form a ball. Silt particles do not hold together as
strongly as clay and are more easily eroded by water and wind than clay. Silty soils hold water and nutrients well and are
good for growing plants.
Did you know? : The earliest civil engineer known by name is Imhotep., He probably
designed and supervised the construction of the Pyramid of Djoser
at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630-2611 BC.
Did you know? : Quicksand is a mixture of water and sand or silt. it looks solid, but
when pressure is applied it liquifies (acts like a liquid). If animals or people stand on it,
they sink into it. Now imagine your house constructed on it!!!
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
Sand particles are the largest of all soil particles, and the texture is gritty. There are larger spaces between the particles.
When suspended in water, sand generally falls to the bottom first. When moist, the sandy soil will not form a ball when
squeezed and falls apart. The soil does not hold much water.
CATCHMENT PROCESSES
What you see above is a natural valley with a beautiful river passing down from the green topped mountains. Whenever
there is a rainfall on the top of the mountain, the water flows through the river along the valley and finally reaches an ocean.
However, these valleys would be prone to natural hazards which would prove to be very destructive. Imagine a torrential
rainfall occurring at the top of the mountains. What would be the effect on the valley below:
• Soil Erosion
• Landslides
• Floods
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
However, the green topped mountains provide resistance for rain water to flow down the valley immediately and thus provide
a safe haven for valley and the natural occurring river channels would avoid any extensive floods. This is a perfect setting
for human beings to come and settle in this beautiful valley. In the process of their settlement, humans indulge in various
activities, which change the natural equilibrium.
Activities like deforestation, intensive agriculture, river diversion and development of the human settlement occurs across
the catchment. As these activities occur, there is a direct impact on the natural environment across the valley. Now, again
imagine the same torrential rainfall occurring at the top of the mountains happening after the upspring of human settlement.
Due to deforestation, the mountains are prone to frequent landslides, due to intensive agriculture there is higher soil erosion,
due to river diversion there is higher risk of floods and human settlement through concrete buildings, there is lesser infiltration
of rainfall occurring which would increase higher soil erosion and floods.
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
SOIL EROSION
Soil Erosion is where land is worn away by different forces. These
forces can be water, wind and ice. It can change the shape and
texture of mountains and many other things too. Erosion has actually
formed many cool features on Earth like mountain peaks, coastlines
and valleys too.
What causes erosion?
We’ve spoken about water, wind and ice. Well these are the main forces that cause erosion, but there are plenty others too.
Sometimes erosion can happen really quickly or it can take thousands of years, it depends which force is at work! If you
think about a beach and all that sand, that actually comes from erosion. This has been caused by water erosion, where
rocks, shells and other things get smaller and smaller by crashing together all the time.
Have humans caused erosions?
Us humans have increased the rate of erosion in many areas. But how? It happens through farming, ranching, cutting down
forests as well as the building of roads and cities. We’ve caused about one million acres of topsoil to erode each year. That
is a lot of erosion that we’ve caused.
How can we help with erosion?
We can actually do quite a lot of things to decrease the amount of erosion we’re causing. We can plant trees around farmland
to protect it from the wind, move herds around so grass grows back and to plant plenty of trees ourselves, to make up for
those that have been cut down
Did you know?: To create 1 centimetre of soil, it takes ONE THOUSAND YEARS. So,
soil is a very precious material to be preserved. Hence, soil erosion is a serious
concern for engineers.
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
LANDSLIDES
A landslide is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope. They
result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are
driven by the force of gravity. Landslides are known also as landslips,
slumps or slope failure.
What causes landslides?
Landslides occurs when forces acting down-slope (mainly due to gravity)
exceed the strength of the earth materials that compose the slope.
Landslides can be triggered by rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level,
stream erosion, changes in ground water, earthquakes, volcanic activity,
disturbance by human activities, or any combination of these factors.
Have humans caused landslides?
Yes, in some cases human activities can be a contributing factor in causing landslides. Many human-caused landslides can
be avoided or mitigated. They are commonly a result of building roads and structures without adequate grading of slopes,
of poorly planned alteration of drainage patterns, deforestation, excavations and of disturbing old landslides.
Did you know?: The world’s biggest prehistoric landslide, occurred in southwestern
Iran, Saidmarreh landslide. The landslide had a volume of about 20 cubic kilometers,
a depth of 300 m, a travel distance of 14 km and a width of 5 km. This means that
about 50 billion tons of rock moved in this single event!
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
FLOODS
A flood is caused when large amounts of rain or melting snow cannot
be absorbed into the ground or the rivers and streams that usually hold
the rain or melting snow are too full to hold it all. Sometimes floods
happen slowly over a period of days of steady rain or slowly melting
snow. Other floods happen quickly without much warning. These are
called flash floods. Flash floods can happen when too much rain comes
too quickly or when the flow of a river or stream becomes blocked.
How much water does it take to cause a flood?
The amount of water it takes to cause a flood depends on how much
water a river, stream, or other receptacle (container) can hold.
Example: If you were to put the plug in your bathtub, turn the water on and leave the room, when the tub was filled, it would
spill over and flood the bathroom. But if that same amount of water was dumped into a lake or river, you wouldn’t even
notice.
Have humans caused floods?
Humans cause and exacerbate flooding due to urban development, destruction of natural wetlands and deforestation. Urban
development causes water runoff into streams during heavy rain, and this runoff causes higher flood peaks and more
frequent floods.
All the above mentioned could lead to loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and
deterioration of health conditions. Now, we shall see how engineers have tried to tackle the one of the above mentioned
natural hazards.
Did you know?: The Yellow River (Huang He) in China has had the four deadliest flood
events in world history. The floods of 1931 resulted in 1 to 4 million people being killed.
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
So… What are engineers doing to protect humans against these natural hazards ?
DAMS:
Dams are used to produce energy and store water.
Dams are also used to regulate the water flow.
When heavy rainfalls occur, the dam protects the cities downstream by reducing the flow.
DYKES:
Dikes protect us when the level of the water raises.
They can be built near the ocean or along a river.
TERRE – SCHOOL COMPETITION HANDOUTS
RETAINING WALLS:
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting the soil mass laterally so that the soil can be retained at different
levels on the two sides. E.g: Basement wall is thus one kind of a retaining wall.
There are different types of retaining walls used such as gravity walls, cantilever walls, anchored walls, bored Pile walls.
Massive concrete retaining walls are usually constructed to avoid landslides and soil movements.
Retaining walls also protect the soil being eroded through water forces.
WATER CANALIZATION:
The following river are canalized using different concrete structures and divert the water flow
Water canalization ensures navigation, regulation of water and flood control.
Canalization is achieved through construction canals, embankments, dams and other hydraulic structures.
It has environmental impact such as loss of wetlands and changing river ecosystem.
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PROs of these solutions
CONs of these solutions
They work!!
• Safe and Fast
• Easy to design
• Little monitoring and maintenance
• Long lifespan
• Highly dependent on cement industry
• Contributes to global carbon emissions
• Has environmental impacts
• Less sustainable
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POINTS TO REMEMBER
• The traditional engineering solutions are durable engineering solutions
• These solutions mainly use building materials like cement, steel, fired bricks for construction of above
mentioned remedial structures.
• Cement industry alone produces 5-8% of global man-made CO2 emissions
• Steel industry produces harmful gases causing air pollution
• These methods have high impact on landscape and ecosystem raising serious environmental concerns.
So, what we can do to protect ourselves from nature and nature from us? Answer is look for sustainable
engineering solutions
What is Sustainability?
‘In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to
remain diverse and productive indefinitely. […]. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance
of systems and processes’
(WIKIPEDIA)
We can learn from the nature to solve engineering problems in a sustainable manner. The new engineering
solutions would be environmental friendly having less pollution, less energy consumption, fewer chemicals and
natural. This is called “GREEN ENGINEERING”. GREEN Engineering involves the above philosophy and
develops sustainable engineering solutions for many problems faced by man. For example, use of solar energy
through solar panels, use of wind energy through wind turbines. These give clean energy and also reduce
dependence on fossil fuels. In turn being sustainable solutions for energy crisis. But, how can this sustainable
engineering solutions be bought to geotechnical engineering in solving the above-mentioned problems. Engineers
are now looking again for nature to get inspiration for sustainable engineering solutions.
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SUSTAINABLE GEOTECHNICS
Sustainable geotechnics is a growing trend to find sustainable solutions for
problems relating to geotechnical engineering. Engineers are mimicking
nature to improve the soil strength instead of using conventional methods
such as using cement.
• Use of suction in soils
• Inclusion of vegetation as soil reinforcement
• Use of Micro-organisms (Bacteria & Fungi) in soil.
• Soil stabilisation techniques inspired by animals (ants, termites)
• Use of wastes for soil stabilisation
