Research and Development

Engineering Strategy

Presented by
Delwyn G. Fredlund

November 10, 2005

 Why Do Research?

¾ What is the Purpose and Value

in doing Engineering Research?
¾ Is Engineering Research related
to Development of a country?
¾ What can be learned from the
experiences of other countries?
¾ Is Engineering Research
different than doing Research on
other subjects?
How Much to Spend on Research?

¾ How much money should be

spent on Engineering-Related
Research in:
¾ a Developing Country?
¾A Developed Country?
¾Is there a difference?
¾ Who should do the Engineering
Research?
¾ When can the Engineering
Research be discontinued?
My Background in Engineering Research?

¾ Professor of Civil and

Geotechnical Engineering at the
University of Saskatchewan,
Canada, for 34 years
¾ Research Officer with the
National Research Council of
Canada
¾ Board of the Natural Science and
Engineering Council of Canada
¾ Reviewer of research programs in
numerous countries
Personal Observations of Research?

¾ 1970s: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

WES, Vicksburg, MS
¾ 1970s: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
CRREL, Hanover, NH
¾ 1977: Sabbatical, U. of Texas, Austin,
TX
¾ 1984: Sabbatical, CSU, Ft. Collins, CO
¾ 1992: NTU, Singapore
¾ 2000+: HKUST, Hong Kong
¾ 2004: Kobe, Japan
¾ 2004: Germany
Character of Engineering Research?

¾ U.S.A.: NSF, National Science

Foundation
¾ Canada: NSERC and Industry –
Collaboration
¾ Sweden/Norway:
¾ Hong Kong
What will be the
¾ Japan
character of
¾ Singapore engineering
¾ Africa research in
Vietnam?
 NSERC

-Natural Science and Engineering Research

Council of Canada
-Agency sponsoring research through
universities in Canada
-Research Grants amounting to $15,000 to
$100,000 per year for 5 years
-Based on a written proposal

1990s: Served on the NSERC Board

Delwyn G. Successful recipient of NSERC
Fredlund Research and Industry-Collaborative
Research Grants
Focus of the NSERC Research Programs

AIM: To assist in the promotion

and maintenance of highly
qualified research into needs in
Canada, and provide a
stimulating environment for the
training of highly qualifies
research persons

The end result is to make Canada a

preferred country in which to live
 Types of NSERC Grants

¾ Research Grants ( for 5 years)

¾ Strategic Grants ($100,000 to
$250,000; 1 to 5 years)
¾ Collaborative Research and
Development Grants
¾ Industry-University
Collaboration
¾ Industry Research Chairs
¾ Equipment Grants
 NSERC Operating Grants

¾ The foundation of a large part of

Canada’s research effort
¾ Three main thrusts:
¾New Researchers: an opportunity
to demonstrate research capacity
¾Established Researchers: An
opportunity for continuity of
support and freedom of
investigation
¾Outstanding Researchers: high
funding for research of
exceptional capacity and promise
 Evaluation Criteria for NSERC

¾ Excellence of Researcher
¾Knowledge and expertise
¾Quality of contributions
¾Impact on field
¾ Merit of Proposed Research
¾Anticipated significance
¾Clarity of objectives
¾Methodology
¾Feasibility
¾Originality
 Evaluation Criteria for NSERC

¾ Need for Funds

¾Cost of research
¾Other sources of funds
¾ Contribution to Training
¾Quality of thesis publications by
trainees
¾Trainees career progression
¾Training other than graduate
students
¾Scope of training
 Motivation for Research

¾ Fundamental Strategies
¾Curiosity
¾Interest
¾Scientific models
¾ Engineering Studies
¾Solving problems
¾Making money and saving
money

Approved Research Programs must have a

relevance to the country paying for the research
Purpose of Research Studies

¾ Understanding Fundamental
Behavior
¾Physics studies
¾Chemistry studies
¾Biology studies
¾ Providing Engineering Solutions
¾Geotechnical Engineering
¾Structural Engineering
¾Environmental Engineering
¾Transportation Engineering
Why Do Engineering Research?

¾ Because we are involved in

predicting future behavior based
on scientific laws
¾ Compare:
¾Soothsayer: superstition
¾Prophet: spiritual
¾Engineering Science: application
of the laws of physics, chemistry,
mathematics, biology, etc.
Examples of Predicting the Future

¾ Settlement of a building on soft clay

¾ Dissipation of pore-water pressures
¾ Movement of a slope
¾ Movement of contaminants
¾ Subsidence due to groundwater
pumping
¾ Performance of an earth structure

Engineers are called upon to provide

assurance of satisfactory future behavior
 Types of Research Studies
¾ Laboratory Studies
¾Constitutive behavior
¾Evaluation of soil properties
¾ Computer Studies
¾Numerical modeling
¾ Equipment Studies
¾Instrumentation for verification
monitoring
¾Laboratory and field equipment
¾ Field Studies
¾Case histories (Verification of the
theories)
Two-dimensional seepage analysis through
an earthfill dam with a clay core.

Optimized mesh for saturated-

unsaturated seepage analysis

www.soilvision.com

Equipotential lines
Three-dimensional Problems can be as easily solved
as Two-dimensional Problems
Optimized, automatically
generated finite element mesh

Modeling of a waste tailings pond

 Stress analysis PDE combined with the Dynamic
Programming procedure to compute the factor of safety

DP Generated
Critical Slip Surface
30 FOS = 1.3 Shape
and location of the slip
25 surface are a part of the solution
20 DP SearchBoundary

15

10

0
Finite Element Shear Stress

0 20 40 60 80
Distance
Personal Research Emphasis

Development of Unsaturated
Soil Mechanics
¾ 1970’s Fundamental theories
¾ 1980s Formulation of a
solution to practical problems
¾ 1990s Protocols for
engineering practice
¾ 2000+ Implementation into
engineering practice
 So, Why is Research So Important?

Because the WORLD is a highly

Competitive Global Village

Because we want things to become

better (Be Number 1)

Because we want to be more efficient,

save money and reduce poverty
Because we want --- (What do you
want?)
Why does Vietnam need Research ?

¾ Vietnamese people desire to be

the best (i.e., competitive)
¾ Vietnamese people have a good
work ethic
¾ Vietnamese people are creative
¾ Vietnamese people want to help
one another and reduce poverty
¾ Vietnamese people are friendly
and desire to have global friends
(e.g., VN Grad Students are
Ambassadors)
Back to the Starting Questions?
¾ What is the Purpose and Value
in doing Engineering Research?
¾In order that the people of the
country can enjoy a reasonable
standard of living
¾Ensure accountability on the part
of leadership (i.e., government)
¾ Is Engineering Research related
to Development of a country?
¾ Most definitely
¾Long-term sustainability depends
on ongoing research programs
Learning From Other Countries
¾ What can be learned from the
experiences of other countries?
¾Canada:
¾Sweden/Norway:
¾Japan:
¾United States:
¾Europe:
¾ Is Engineering Research different
than doing Research on other
subjects?
¾ Not really
How Much to Spend on Research?

¾ How much money should be spent

on Engineering-Related Research
in:
¾A Developing Country?
¾A Developed Country?
¾Is there a difference?
¾ Research funding can be
referenced to the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) of a country;
total value of goods and services
produced by a nation
How Much Does Canada Spend?

¾ GDP for Canada:

¾ 2002 = $728 billion ($23,500 per capita)
¾ 2003 = $714 billion ($23,000 per capita)
¾ 2004 = $1023 billion

¾ NSERC Spending:
¾2004-05; $803 million (0.113 %)

¾ IDRC Spending:
¾2003; $122 million (0.017 %)
How Much to Spend on Charity?

¾ How much money does the

Government of Canada spent on
charity? (Separate from Social
Services)
¾ Government of Canada?
¾Goal = 0.7% of GNP (Set by Lester
B. Pearson before the United
Nations)
¾Actual Spending (2005) = 0.26%
¾ CIDA Spending
¾2003-04; $2.717 billion (0.38 %)
How Much do People Give to Charity?

¾ How much money do people

give to charity in Canada?
(Separate from the
government)
¾ Non-Government
Organizations, NGOs?
¾$6.5 billion per year or 0.91% of
the GNP
¾~ 2.4 times as much as the
Government
 Spending on Research?

¾ Who should do the Engineering

Research?
¾Universities: Definitely
¾Research Institutes: Maybe!
• Federally funded
• Provincially funded
¾Engineering Consulting Firms: Yes!
¾ When can the Engineering
Research be discontinued?
¾Never; it must be a part of progress
and accountability
 Geotechnical Engineering Office, GEO

¾ GEO has ~ 600 engineers handling

Example of Applied Research
for the Benefit of the People

slope stability problems in Hong

Kong
¾ Came about as a result of the Po
Shan landslide that killed 78 people
in 1972
¾ Result: Greatly reduced death and
cost of landslide related distress in
Hong Kong
¾ Today: Largest hazard
management system in the world
(for about 12,000,000 people)
 Secret to Success in Hong Kong has been
related to the “Control of Infiltration” through
a variety of techniques

Anchor for membrance

Rainfall
Surface drain

Completely Residual soil

Plastic membrance weathered
Runoff Unsaturated Soil
Highly
Collection system weathered
for runoff
footings Groundwater table

Bedrock
Slope in Hong Kong covered with a temporary geomembrane during
the preparation of the slope for further remediation
Same slope in Hong Kong after grass has taken root on the slope.
Control of infiltration is the focus of the design
 Temporary control of infiltration
using geomembranes

Control of infiltration using

concrete gunite
 Most Often it is Environmental Influences
that Cause the Instability of a Slope

On what should the Geotechnical Engineer focus when trying to get

a solution for these types of environmental impact problems?
Answer: The difference between a stable and an unstable slope is
generally related to the coefficient of permeability (or hydraulic
conductivity) of the soil near to the surface of the slope.
Slopes in Hong Kong are generally covered with Chunam (i.e.,
mixture of decomposed granite, flyash and cement) to reduce
surface infiltration by 90%

Note the design detail

around one small tree!
Each slope is photographed from a variety of angles and has an
identifying label. Performance data is stored in a large database
containing thousands of slopes in Hong Kong.
 There has been increasing
pressure from society for the
slopes to be “green” in Hong
Kong. Numerous procedures
have been used to “make the
slopes green”.

Changes in design
have changed the
infiltration
characteristics of the
slopes
 Soil Nailing

-Generally installed as an
excavation is advanced
-Nails are also installed
on existing slopes

There is controversy
over whether nails
placed on existing
slopes provide any
further security
Green slopes on the NTU
campus in Singapore
 If we “think the
way the soil
behaves”, we
will come up
with “wise
solutions”

These slopes become green with

time but the surface hydraulic
conductivity has been reduced
through use of a concrete covering
with holes
Slope Stability Management in Vietnam

¾ Landslide management could be

associated with:
¾Roadway system (85,000 km)
¾Railways (4250 km)
¾Dykes along rivers
¾ Objectives are to:
¾Improve facility design and
maintenance
¾Reduce maintenance costs
¾Facilitate development
¾Primary role in poverty reduction
¾Improvement of living conditions
Philosophical Context for the Study

¾ A Civilization’s rise and fall is linked

to its ability to feed and shelter its
people and to defend itself. These
capabilities depend on infrastructure –
the underlying, often hidden,
foundation of a society’s wealth and
quality of life. A society that neglects
its infrastructure loses the ability to
transport people and food, provide
clean air and water, control disease
and conduct commerce (National
Science Foundation, USA).
Roadways are primary element of infrastructure
Often little consideration given to the
back-slopes and ditches along newly
constructed highways
 Within one year
many new
landslides occur
and close the
roads

Surrounding
farmland may also
be affected
 Often little attention is given to
geology, soil mechanics and climatic
conditions
 “Little or No
Preliminary
Engineering”.
Rather, as failures
occur, remediation
steps are
implemented

Cost of remedial work

often surpasses the
original cost of
construction; a difficult
lesson to learn
Objectives of the Vietnam Proposal
¾ Develop a capital work plan for the
assessment, maintenance, monitoring,
control and management of slope
instability along the roadway system
¾ Transfer scientific, engineering and
environmental technology, training and
information, to improve our under-
standing & analysis of slope instabilities
associated with roadway system
¾ Develop internal capacity within Vietnam
to provide technological training relative
to solutions, maintaining, managing and
monitoring of slopes and flash floods
affecting the roadway system
Methodology for the Feasibility Study
¾ Combine a capital works feasibility
program with a local capacity building
program to define the most effective long-
term maintenance, monitoring and
management system of capital works for
slopes along the roadways in northern
and middle Vietnam
¾ Joint, Interactive Project Design Workshop
¾ Inventory
¾ Site selection
¾ Socio-Economic and Regulatory
¾ Investigation
¾ Analysis
¾ Design and Mitigation
¾ Forecasting and Risk
¾ Technology Transfer, Planning and Training
¾ Document results
 Work Plan and Schedule
Months
¾ 1: Project management procedures
¾ 2: Domestic information review
¾ 3: Selection of test site
¾ 4-6: Geotechnical engineering,
enviromental & socio-economic
¾ 6-9: Selection of additional test sites
¾ 7-9: Preparation of Draft Report
¾ 10: Circulate draft report
¾ 11: Workshop/Conference presentations
¾ 12: Final Feasibility Study Report
 Project Team and Budget
¾ Golder Associates (Canada)
¾ Sask. Research Council (SRC)
¾ SoilVision Systems (SV)
¾ Vietnam Fed. Civil Eng. (VIFECA)
¾ Advance Assoc. Corp. (AA-Corp)
¾ Ministry of Transportation
¾ Ministry of Construction
¾ Ministry of Science & Technology
¾ Ministry of Natural Resources &
Environment
¾ Ministry of Planning & Investment
¾ Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development
¾ Budget
¾ Phase 1: $423,476
¾ Phase 2: $4,200,000
 Negative pore-water
pressures
Net normal stress Matric suction
(σ - ua) (ua - uw)

(σ - uw)
Effective stress

Sa Positive pore-
s
tura pressures
water
i c
Thank You ted Soil Mechan