Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Information coronavirus

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| Stories of Science

Our research themes

Availability of clean water Climate change Energy transition Resource availability Urbanisation and Mobility

Reading time: 3 min

Safety in numbers in times of Corona? There can be.

When did we last dance at a pop festival, cheer on our favourite football team or get together with friends for a meal at a restaurant? It all seems an eternity ago. Dorine Duives misses the crowds as well, and not just for the atmosphere. As a TU Delft researcher Duives studies pedestrian crowd behaviour and the arrival of coronavirus and the 1.5 metre society has made her expertise more relevant than ever. As the crisis developed, the focus of her research became firmly centred on safe ways of opening up society again.

Reading time: 4 minutes

Sweet solutions to a salty problem

Fringing coral reefs provide a sheltered habitat for many sea animals and are a snorkelers’ paradise. But they also form a natural barrier which protects the shoreline and the area further inland. Experiments using 3D printed replicas of a coral are helping Marion Tissier gain an insight into how coral reefs influence and dampen wave energy.

Reading time: 5 min

Getting it straight: bridges are becoming circular

A large number of bridges in the Netherlands are scheduled for large-scale maintenance work or replacement. In order to minimise the effect on the environment and bring down costs researcher Wenjun Cao is working on a model to assess the potential for circularity of these bridges. This will help the Netherlands to achieve its aim of a fully Circular Economy (CE) by 2050.

Reading time: 5 min

Good vibrations? Not for bridges

Due to poor monitoring, many structures are not maintained properly or on time. This results in safety risks and high costs for overdue maintenance. Researcher Alice Cicirello is working on better design and monitoring tools to ensure the secure construction of structures to extend their service life.

Reading time: 4 min

Help from on high to save earthly problems

The ground beneath our feet is constantly moving and that can compromise the stability of buildings and infrastructure. Satellite data are helping Giorgia Giardina to chart the impact of subsurface activity on buildings in great detail so efficient measures to limit damage, cost and safety risks can be taken before it’s too late.

Reading time: 3 min

Campus Mobility Dashboard to monitor crowd behavior at TU Delft

For years, Distinguished Professor Smart Urban Mobility Serge Hoogendoorn had been dreaming of a sensor network for research into traffic flows. The fact that it would happen on the TU Delft campus was never part of the dream. A perfect case of “never waste a good crisis”.

Understanding complex coral reef coasts

Reading time: 5 min

Creating order in the chaos of sand and wind

The sky is a pretty hectic place but most of the tumultuous goings-on pass us by. In order to gain a better insight into the atmospheric processes taking place nearer the ground, Frans Liqui Lung developed a simulation model showing small-scale interactions between sand and wind The resulting Master’s thesis earned him the title of Best Graduate of the faculty of Civil engineering and Geosciences.

Reading time: 5 min

Super asphalt lasts longer

Asphalt concrete is a great material for road surfacing purposes but it’s not always the most sustainable of options. Sandra Erkens, professor of Pavement Engineering Practice, is looking for ways of predicting and extending the lifespan of both existing and new pavement materials. Epoxy asphalt may well hold the key to more durable road surfaces. The end of October should see the start of the construction of a trial section on a Noord-Holland road to put the new super asphalt through its paces.

Reading time: 4 min

What if we all share our rides?

With just a few clicks associate professor Oded Cats empties the streets of Amsterdam of all cars. In a simulation model, that is. ‘Now what if we ban Uber? Or allow only trams or bike sharing services?’ From his office in the CEG faculty building Cats is experimenting with a complex computer model creating a wealth of different virtual transport scenarios. He specifically looks into new modes of shared mobility, as they have brought a whole new dynamic to our cities.

Reading time: 4 min

A super model for all the glaciers on Earth

Glaciologist Harry Zekollari has climbed and researched many glaciers around the globe. At TU Delft he is currently working on the first ever multidimensional model to represent thousands of glaciers. The model will predict the response of glaciers to climate change more accurately and provide an insight into glacier melt worldwide.

Reading time: 4 min

Counting grains of sand to understand coastal dunes

The Dutch coastline is continually changing. Coastal engineer Sierd de Vries is using ventilators, wind tunnels, drones, jet skis and laser scanners to gain an insight into the development of coastal areas and dune formation. He can often be found sitting close to the Sand Motor counting grains of sand.

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Printing concrete

Today, the facades of buildings are often insulated with expensive and porous plastic. What if we could make more sustainable insulation materials with one of the strongest, cheapest and most widely used building materials in the world: concrete? And what if this can be done with a technique that reduces waste and costs, and increases speed and freedom of customised design? That is why master student Building Engineering Zixia WU is trying to 3D print concrete in the micro lab using different techniques.

Stories of Science: Safety in numbers in times of Corona? There can be.

Stories of Science: Sweet solutions to a salty problem

Student Stories: Building sand castles for your graduation

Stories of Science: Getting it straight: bridges are becoming circular

Stories of Science: Good vibrations? Not for bridges

Stories of Science: Help from on high to solve earthly problems

‘We are showing how we can take something as dramatic as Covid-19 and use it to develop world-class scientific research’

Stories of Science: Understanding complex coral reef coasts

Stories of Science: Creating order in the chaos of sand and wind

Information coronavirus

To the bottom of Greenland's ice sheet

Obtaining energy from concrete

Karin Sluis is TU Delft Alumnus of the Year 2021

| Stories of Science

Our research themes

Safety in numbers in times of Corona? There can be.

Sweet solutions to a salty problem

Getting it straight: bridges are becoming circular

Good vibrations? Not for bridges

Help from on high to save earthly problems

Campus Mobility Dashboard to monitor crowd behavior at TU Delft

Understanding complex coral reef coasts

Creating order in the chaos of sand and wind

Super asphalt lasts longer

What if we all share our rides?

A super model for all the glaciers on Earth

Counting grains of sand to understand coastal dunes

> All Stories of Science

Printing concrete

Printing concrete

Ground and Satellite measurements for atmosphere research

Aerosol particles cool the climate less than we thought

Professors

June

Thesis defence Y. Wang

July

Thesis defence S.L. de Valk

Thesis defence F.S. Desta

Thesis defence H.T. Dào

Thesis defence Y. Guo