Bo Lind thinks that too little geoinformation is used when society embarks on infrastructure projects.
- Some projects are successful while others go completely wrong, he says and adds:
- The overall costs for geotechnics related damage to infrastructure and buildings in Sweden amount to several billions of kronor every year. Much of this could be saved with better knowledge and better geological data.
SGI, as also Geological Survey of Sweden SGU, is taking part in discussions about a future research body Geoinfra.
- This is important in many respects, says Bo Lind. The whole geotechnical research field is too small in relation to the very large resources our society invests in infrastructure. Research ought to be properly strengthened so that is stands in reasonable proportion to the societal values at stake.
Direct involvement of research
SGI also has its own strategy to conduct research in direct association with construction projects.
- Good examples of this are the trial embankments constructed along roads or railways. About two years are generally needed to measure ground settlements, explains Bo Lind.
The enthusiasm of road builders and other contractors for direct research appears to vary. Some say ok to research projects “as far as it does not disturb the rest of the work”, and seem to think that this is for the sake of the researchers themselves.
It is unusual for large infrastructure investments to contain any research. Research resources sometimes come from the outside, for example from institutes or universities that can relate their research to an ongoing construction project.
- But very seldom from the construction project itself, even if it costs hundreds of millions. If an investment is made in research it repays itself many times over, says Bo Lind. He says that the government is investing BSEK 480 over 10 years on upgrading infrastructure in the whole of Sweden.
- If one per cent of this investment were to go to research, according to the Lisbon Treaty, this would come to MSEK 480 annually. But it is estimated today that the total geotechnics related research by the State and the business sector amounts to about MSEK 100 annually, he says.
Climate and vulnerability
Just now SGI is running a large project on behalf of the government. The Göta River Commission relates to preparations for future climate changes and to dealing with the increased discharges through the river. Better knowledge of stability conditions along the entire river is needed, and the government has commissioned SGI to investigate conditions favouring landslides.
- This is a huge job for us, and it is a continuation of what the former government had said to us, to draw up a plan for how we will deal with climate changes, when precipitation is expected to increase by 10 – 40 per cent in large parts of Sweden, says Bo Lind.
Bo Lind is a classically trained quaternary geologist and has been engaged on engineering geology issues all his professioal life. For ten years he has worked at SGI.
- SGI now has 23 staff with doctorates, he says. We have deliberately endeavoured to profile ourselves as a European research organisation, and we also have staff taking industrial doctorates.
Groundwater in 50 years
SGI is engaged on both research, support for the authorities and consultancy. The new research plan of the Institute is divided into four principal areas: natural disasters, geostructures, contaminated areas and remediation, and geomaterials.
Examples of this are to make forecasts for groundwater pressure and thus buildability and stability, including what the pressure is likely to be in 50 years with a changed climate. Bo Lind describes the way SGI develops numerical models for the behaviour of mainly clay under load.
- In this respect the international research collaboration is very important, he says. And adds that SGI is a member of eleven EU projects, several of which are related to climate changes.
SGI
Swedish Geotechnical Institute is an authority and a research institute under the Ministry of Environment, weith overarching responsibility for geiotechnical issues in Sweden. SGI's duty is to develop, apply and disseminate knowledge which will benefit all who are engaged in the building, civil engineering snd environmental sectots. www.swedgeo.se