Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2016-2017 (archived)

Module ENGI4141: STRUCTURES, HIGHWAYS AND CONSTRUCTION

Department: Engineering

ENGI4141: STRUCTURES, HIGHWAYS AND CONSTRUCTION

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2016/17 Module Cap Location Durham
Tied to H100

Prerequisites

  • ENGI3401,ENGI3301

Corequisites

  • As specified in programme regulations.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • As specified in programme regulations.

Aims

  • This module is designed solely for students studying School of Engineering and Computing Sciences degree programmes.
  • The module will provide graduates with advanced knowledge and understanding of structural design, highway construction, traffic engineering, construction planning and law.

Content

  • STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  • Effects of moment redistribution on design of reinforced concrete for bending.
  • Prestressed concrete: history, methods, design for SLS and ULS
  • Civil Engineering Materials: Cement manufacture, cement replacements, concrete mix design
  • Sustainable building materials
  • An introduction to timber design
  • HIGHWAYS
  • Microscopic and macroscopic traffic flow modelling.
  • The traffic assignment problem and dynamic network models.
  • Measurement devices and data processing.
  • Estimation of traffic variables and automatic incident detection.
  • Origin-destination estimation.
  • Motorway traffic control.
  • Urban road traffic control.
  • Road construction materials and methods.
  • Road pavement design
  • CONSTRUCTION PLANNING
  • Construction industry and investment process
  • English law, contract, tort
  • Project procurement and types of construction contracts
  • Planning techniques: bar charts, network analysis, finance, project appraisal, risk
  • Building Information Modelling
  • Safety, CDM - in planning, design, construction and maintenance

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Ability to design reinforced concrete beams.
  • Ability to design pre-stressed concrete beams for bending and shear.
  • Ability to understand the strengths and weaknesses of civil engineering materials.
  • Understanding of the legal issues associated to the professional practice of civil engineering.
  • Knowledge of the sources of hazards in construction and understanding of the relevant measures for the control of risk.
  • Understanding of traffic flow modelling approaches at different scales.
  • Understanding of traffic flow control problems for different types of network and measurement devices for modelling and control purposes.
  • Understanding of the traffic flow variables' estimation problems.
  • Knowledge of simple design methods for road pavements.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • An awareness of current technology, analysis methods and industrial practices along with the ability to apply those methods in novel situations.
  • The ability to apply modelling, estimation and control algorithms for traffic related problems.
  • An appreciation of the influence of material behaviour on design methods.
  • The ability to carry out the preliminary assessment and planning of construction processes.
  • An in-depth knowledge and understanding of specialised and advanced technical and professional skills, an ability to perform critical assessment and review and an ability to communicate the results of their own work effectively.
Key Skills:
  • Capacity for independent self-learning within the bounds of professional practice.
  • Highly specialised analytical and numerical skills appropriate to an engineer.
  • Highly specialised use of information technology (IT) relevant to the engineering profession.
  • Mathematics relevant to the application of advanced engineering concepts.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • There are three courses: Structural Design, Highways Engineering & Construction Planning.
  • These are delivered as lectures and are reinforced where appropriate by workshops and problem sheets, leading to the required problem solving capability.
  • Construction planning includes student presentations on researched topics.
  • Students are able to make use of staff 'Tutorial Hours' to discuss any aspect of the module with teaching staff on a one-to-one basis. These are sign up sessions available for up to one hour per week.
  • Written timed examinations are appropriate because of the wide range of analytical, in-depth material covered in this module and allow demonstration of the ability to solve advanced problems independently.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Structural Design lectures 20 Typically 1 per week 1 Hour 20
Highways Engineering lectures 10 Typically 1 per week 1 Hour 10
Construction Planning lectures 9 Typically 1 per week 1 Hour 9
Highways Engineering workshops 3 Three in one term 2 Hour 6
Tutorial Hours As required Weekly sign-up sessions Up to 1 Hour 8
Preparation and Reading 147
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Structural Design 2 hours 50% No
Highways and Construction Planning 2 hours 50%

Formative Assessment:

None

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University