Creative scientific activities at the Department of Transport Structures are realized by solving problems in the scope of research grant projects, publishing new findings in scientific journals, conference papers and creation of teaching aids, textbooks and monographs. An important part of the scientific activities of the department is solving research grant projects of the Czech Science Foundation, research intents and research projects in the area transportation. Faculty of Transport Engineering, Department of Transport Structures is a member of the Interoperability of Railway Infrastructure association and the National Technology Platform for Road Transport.
- EU – Horizon Europe – INVENTHEI – INnoVation and ENTrepreneurship in HEI (Source: 495)
- MPO – OP PIK – Smart Parking & Charging (Source: CZ.01.1.02/0.0/0.0/20_321/0024477)
- EU – ERASMUS+ – Development of Education Modules for Safety Critical Railway Operation Systems (Source: 2020-1-TR01-KA202-093028)
- TACR – Zeta – Non-destructive determination of mechanical stress in continuous welded rail (Source: TJ04000301)
- HEIDF – Use of multilevel ground penetrating radar for education of dignostics and monitoring of transport structures (Source: HEIDF 475/2013)
- HEIDF – Innovation of Geodesy and Cartography subject at the Faculty of Transport Engineering (Source: HEIDF 2011/976)
- HEIDF – Innovation of technical subject of Digital Design at the Faculty of Transport Engineering (Source: HEIDF 2011/1105)
- HEIDF – Development of laboratory of the Department of Transport Structures FTE UPa (Source: HEIDF 1401/2007)
- GACR – Cement composites under extreme temperatures (Source: GACR P104/10/1021)
- GACR – Analysis of local mechanic behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete in underground structures (Source: GACR 103/08/1197)
- GACR – Fatigue resilience of steel orthotropic decks (Source: GACR 103/08/1340)
- GACR – Determination of operational loading capacity and lifetime of bridges (Source: GACR 103/05/2066)
- GACR – Modelling and reverse analysis of transport structures (Source: GACR 103/05/0679)
- GACR – Stability of underground structures under exceptional conditions (Source: GACR 103/06/1124)
- GACR – Influence of shakes and impacts on engineering structures (Source: GACR 103/08/0922)
Organizational and thematic structure of scientific activities at the Department of Transport Structures is shaped mostly by the focus of particular specialized sections of the department. They are:
- bridges (concrete and steel)
- roads
- railways
- geotechnical structures (stability of ground bodies, foundation structures, underground structures)
Research intents and some research grant projects solved in collaboration of more departments create an important integral aspect and come out of contemporary trends in research and development of civil engineering given by priority thematic areas of research in the scope of European Research Area and National Research and Development Policy of the Czech Republic. External collaboration with other universities, institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, ministerial institutes, companies, and foreign institutions is of high importance, too.
Common feature of the fundamental orientation of scientific activities realized at the Department of Transport Structures is the orientation on diagnostics of bearing transport structures, research of new materials, structures and technologies with focus on their durability and reliability, dynamic loading in the range of whole life cycle, etc.
Research activity is carried out in the scope of research projects supported by grants of GA CR, CAS, TA CR, authorities, particular ministries, European Union, or companies from the field of civil engineering. Direct international collaboration in research is realized by projects of the 7th research framework programme of the EU, COST, Erasmus+, and others.
Emphasis is put on forensic expert activities, too. It focuses on defects and deficiencies occuring in transport structures in the Czech Republic most frequently.
examples of laboratory facilities
- geotechnical field
- geotechnical modelling stand
- equipment for soil compaction tests
- equipment for direct and triaxial shear tests
- oedometer
- equipment for static and dynamic loading tests
- equipment for California bearing ratio tests
- multichannel ground penetrating radar
- concrete press 5000 and 3000 kN
- press ED 20 for tensile strength tests
- equipment for pull-off tests
- total station and GPS Leica
- levelling devices and theodolites
- elektric oven up to 1350 °C
- thermal cycler
- planograph
Facilities are equpped with computer technology and specialized calculation programs.
- static tests, with some restrictions even dynamic tests of metal and concrete elements of bridges or their models, especially fatigue tests of material
- concrete stress tests (press 3000 kN)
- ordinary tensile strength tests performed in order to get data of material physical properties (press ED 20)
- geotechnical tests (water content, soil suction tests, particle-size analysis, direct and triaxial shear stress tests (UU – unconsolidated undrained test), oedometer test, California bearing ratio, soil compaction tests)
- field measurements
- loading tests of bridges
- experimental measurements in subgrade of transport structures
- underground structures – expert consultations in the scope of influence of underground structures on their vicinity and assessment of bearing structures of underground structures under exceptional conditions
- geotechnical structures – expert consultations in serious disrepair assessment of geotechnical structures
- bridges – expert consultations in diagnostics of concrete and steel bridges and assessment of their limit states
- roads and railways – expert consultations in road surface and base layers assessment, especially of their defects and deficiencies occuring at the design and realization stage
