Staff Profile

Background

Dr Colin Davie joined Newcastle University in 2004 as part of the Geotechnical and Structural Engineering (GEST) Group in the School of Engineering.  His research interests focus on the analysis of concrete exposed to high temperatures (with applications in nuclear power plant structures, fires in tunnels and buildings etc.) and multi-phase behaviour of the ground, concerned with fluid flow, heat transfer, electrical conductivity etc. (with applications in slope stability, geological disposal of radioactive waste, ground source energy, rock slope stability etc.).  His area of teaching revolves around geotechnics, geology and rock engineering for civil engineers and engineering geologists.

ORCID

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

Qualifications

• BEng Civil Engineering with Geology (1998)
• MSc Geotechnical Engineering (1999)
• Ph.D (Particulate Mechanics Framework for Modelling Multi-Physics Processes in Fracturing Geomaterials) (2002)

Roles and Responsibilities

• Associate Dean for Education (Intl. Recruitment), SAgE Faculty

Area of expertise

• Flow and conductivity in porous geomaterials

Industrial Experience

Various consultancy work for Magnox, AMEC Power and Process and EDF related to concrete exposed to elevated temperatures in nuclear applications.  Secondments to Scottish Power (1998) and Halcrow Special Structures (2001).

Research Interests

Constitutive behaviour of multi-field problems of flow and other forms of conductivity (thermal, electrical etc.) in porous and fractured geomaterials.

• Fully coupled Hygro-Thermal-Mechanical modelling of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures (with applications in nuclear power plant structures, fires etc.).
• Coupled modelling of multi-phase fluid flow in the ground (with applications in slope stability, electro-kinetics, ground source energy, etc.)
• Coupled modelling of thermal behaviour of the ground (with applications in ground source energy, nuclear waste disposal, tunnel fires etc.)
• Discrete element representations of coupled multi-field problems.
• Novel applications for porous media modelling schemes.

I am actively recruiting Postgraduate Research Students in all areas of my interest. The projects listed on the School pages are indicative of potential projects but are by no means exhaustive. Please contact me for further discussion.

ORCID

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

Academia.edu

Research Projects and Funding

• CACTUS - Climate Adaptation Control Technologies for Urban Spaces - EPSRC (EP/R005834/1) - £280k (of £1.7m) (Co-I) - Jan 2018 - Dec 2022
• SAFE Barriers - a Systems Approach For Engineered Barriers - EPSRC/NDA (EP/I036427/1) - £208k (of £1.3m)  (Co-I/NU PI) - Sept 2012 Sept 2016
• EPSRC Small Equipment Grant - £10k - 2012
• University EPSRC Impact Award - EPSRC - £12k (PI) - 2011
• MSc Engineering Geology. Masters Training Grant (MTG) - NERC (NE/H52592X/1) - £125k (PI) - 2009 - 2011
• MSc Enviro. Biogeochemistry. Masters Training Grant (MTG) - NERC (NE/H525938/1) - £125k (Co-I) - 2009-2001
• An Advanced Numerical Tool for the Prediction and Analysis of Spalling in Concrete Structures Exposed to Combined Thermal and Mechanical Loading - EPSRC (EP/E048935/1) - £201k (PI) - Sept 2007-July 2010
• Thermo-mechanical behaviour in concrete at high temperatures – EPSRC/Halcrow Group Ltd. (CASE/CAN/06/71) - £20k (PI) - Nov 2006-Nov 2009
• Management, monitoring and treatment of mine workings - NetworkRail - £63k (Co-I) – Apr 2005-Mar2008
• Travel Grant – RAEng (PI) - £500 - 2006

Postgraduate Supervision

• Peter Helm - Void migration in shallow mine workings (Completed 2011)
• Chris Robson - Thermo-mechanical behaviour in concrete at high temperatures (Completed 2012)
• Carla-Leanne Washbourne - Engineering soils to create carbon sinks (Completed 2014)
• Ross Stirling - Cracking in engineered soils and compacted fills (Completed 2014)
• Chris Davies - Investigation of the geotechnical and physico-chemical behaviour of the steel-clay interface in engineered barrier systems for geological disposal of radioactive wastes
• Oboho Eminue - Crack development mechanisms in clay embankments
• Alfred Opukumo - Ground remediation techniques for mitigation of cracking 

Esteem Indicators

• Member of the Geotechnique Assessors Panel (2016 - 2018)
• Reviewer for high impact international journals across concrete research and geotechnical engineering disciplines
• Reviewer for EPSRC responsive mode and first grant proposals
• Invited presentation – Computational fracture modelling workshop – Durham University (2016)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of 4^th International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure, Leipzig, Germany (2015)
• Member of the RILEM Technical Committee 256-SPF ' Spalling of concrete due to fire: testing and modelling', (2013-Present)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of 3^rd International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure, Paris, France (2013)
• Chair and co-organiser NAFEMS seminar on Concrete under Fire: Effects of Heat on Concrete, disseminating research to industry (2011)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of 2^nd International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure, TU Delft, Netherlands (2011)
• Invited session chair & presenter - European Conference on Computational Mechanics, Paris (2010)
• Invited presentation – Intl. Workshop on Geoenvironmental Engineering, Wuhan, China (2009)
• Invited speaker - Structures in Fire Forum, Sheffield University, (2009)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of 1^st International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure, Leipzig, Germany (2009)
• Invited member of the RILEM Technical Committee 227-HPB 'Physical Properties and behaviour of High-Performance Concrete at high temperature'.  Sole UK representative. (2008-2014)
• Mike Crisfield Prize in Computational Mechanics (2004)
• Prize for Best Paper in Computational Mechanics (Student)(ACME 2002)
• Scottish Geotechnical Group Trophy (2001)
• Prize for Best Paper in Computational Mechanics (Student - Runner-up)(ACME 2001)

Undergraduate Teaching

Basic geotechnics and geology for civil engineers.

Module leader for:

• CEG1201 Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Rock

Project supervision:

• CEG3099 Individual Design Project (BEng)
• CEG8099 Investigative Research Project (MEng)

Postgraduate Teaching

Rock engineering and geotechnics for geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists

Module leader for:

• CEG8207 Field Class (Alpes de Haute Provence - France)

Teaching contributions to:

• CEG8209 Engineering and Applied Geology

• CEG8296 Project and Dissertation in Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology (MSc)
• CEG8396 Project and Dissertation in Structural Engineering (MSc)

• Abubaker AM, Davie CT. A Generalised Model for Direct Prediction of Stresses in Concrete at High Temperatures. Magazine of Concrete Research 2022, epub ahead of print.
• Opukumo AW, Davie CT, Glendinning S, Oborie E. A review of the identification methods and types of collapsible soils. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science 2022, 69, 17.
• Opukumo AW, Davie CT, Glendinning S. A simple laboratory method to simulate calcite-bonded loose-structured soil samples for collapsibility study. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science 2022, 69(1), 55.
• McConnel E, Holmes J, Stirling R, Davie C, Glendinning S. Hydrological monitoring of an outdoor, large-scale desiccation crack experiment. In: 11th International Symposium on Field Monitoring in Geomechanics. 2022, Imperial College London, London, UK.
• Toll DG, Kerr H, Hughes PN, Johnson KL, Osman AS, Tripathy S, Wang H, Rees SW, Bengough AG, Boldrin D, Knappett JA, Thangarajah J, Pandey P, Sivakumar V, McKinnon P, Tsiampousi A, Petalas A, Zdravkovic L, Potts DM, Stirling RS, Holmes J, Glendinning S, Davie CT, Leung AK. Investigating Water Holding Barriers for Climate Adaptation. In: 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2022, Sydney, Australia: Australian Geomechanics Society.
• Gilmour K, Davie C, Gray N. Microbial community of MX80 bentonite and their interaction with iron. Access Microbiology 2022, 4(5).
• Gilmour KA, Davie CT, Gray N. Survival and activity of an indigenous iron-reducing microbial community from MX80 bentonite in high temperature / low water environments with relevance to a proposed method of nuclear waste disposal. Science of the Total Environment 2022, 814, 152660.
• Gilmour KA, Davie CT, Gray N. An indigenous iron-reducing microbial community from MX80 bentonite - A study in the framework of nuclear waste disposal. Applied Clay Science 2021, 205, 106039.
• Yu Z, Eminue O.O, Stirling R, Davie C, Glendinning S. Desiccation cracking at field scale on a vegetated infrastructure embankment. Géotechnique Letters 2021, 11(1), 1-21.
• Holmes JL, Stirling R, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Experimental SuDS-Barrier Systems for Climate Adaptation and Protection of Buried Geo-Infrastructure. In: 15th International Conference on Urban Drainage. 2021, Melbourne, Australia.
• Reppas N, Gui Y, Wetenhall B, Davie C, Ma J. Wellbore stability analysis during CO₂ injection considering elastoplastic and continuous damage effects. In: 11th Conference of Asian Rock Mechanics Society ARMS11. 2021, Beijing: Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd.
• Yu Z, Stirling RA, Davie CT, Eminue O. BIONICS Cracking Data. 2020. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, Newcastle Data Repository.
• Reppas N, Gui YL, Wetenhall B, Davie CT, Ma J. Elasto-Plastic Behavior of Rock during Temperature Drop. International Journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering 2020, 14(7), 177-184.
• Wang J, Davie CT, Masoero E. The Effect of Micro-structural Mechanisms on the Macro-level Behaviour of Cementitious Materials at Elevated Temperatures. In: The 6th International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure. 2019, Sheffield, UK: University of Sheffield, Department Of Civil & Structural Engineering.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Kukla K, Bićanić N. Modelling of transport processes in concrete exposed to elevated temperatures – An alternative formulation for sorption isotherms. Cement and Concrete Research 2018, 106, 144-154.
• Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Davie CT, Hen-Jones R, Hughes PN. The Behaviour and Influence of Desiccation Cracking on a Full-Scale, Vegetated Infrastructure Embankment. In: 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT2018). 2018, Hong Kong, China: UNSAT.
• Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Davie CT. Modelling the deterioration of the near surface caused by drying induced cracking. Applied Clay Sciences 2017, 146, 176-185.
• Davies CW, Davie CT, Edward CA, White ML. Physicochemical and Geotechnical Alterations to MX-80 Bentonite at the Waste Canister Interface in an Engineered Barrier System. Geosciences 2017, 7(3), 69.
• Davie CT, Masoero E. Modelling Damage from the Nano-Scale Up. In: 10th International Conference on Mechanics and Physics of Creep, Shrinkage, and Durability of Concrete and Concrete Structures (CONCREEP 10). 2015, Vienna, Austria: ASCE.
• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in the near-surface of compacted soils. In: XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development. 2015, Edinburgh, UK: ICE Publishing.
• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in the near-surface of compacted soils. In: XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2015, Edinburgh, UK: ICE Publishing.
• Ene GE, Davie CT, Okogbue CO. Numerical Analysis of the Influence of Tunnel Dimensions on Stress and Deformation Around Tunnels in Rocks. In: XII International IAEG Congress. 2015, Tornio, Turin: Springer.
• Stirling RA, Hughes P, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Tensile behaviour of unsaturated compacted clay soils — A direct assessment method. Applied Clay Science 2015, 112-113, 123-133.
• Stirling RA, Hughes PN, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Cyclic relationship between saturation and tensile strength in the near-surface zone of infrastructure embankments. In: Khalili K, Russell A, Koshghalb A, ed. Unsaturated Soils: Research and Applications. London: CRC Press, 2014, pp.1501-1505.
• Stirling RA, Hughes PN, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Cyclic relationship between saturation and tensile strength in the near-surface zone of infrastructure embankments. In: Sixth International Conference on Unsaturdated Soils, UNSAT 2014. 2014, Sydney, Australia: CRC Press.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bićanić N. Fully coupled, hygro-thermo-mechanical sensitivity analysis of a pre-stressed concrete pressure vessel. Engineering Structures 2014, 59, 536-551.
• Zhang HL, Davie CT. A numerical investigation of the influence of pore pressures and thermally induced stresses for spalling of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures. Fire Safety Journal 2013, 59, 102-110.
• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of desiccation crack induced permeability. In: 18th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2013, Paris, France.
• Helm PR, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of shallow abandoned mine working subsidence affecting transport infrastructure. Engineering Geology 2013, 154, 6-19.
• Stirling RA, Simpson DJ, Davie CT. The application of digital image correlation to Brazilian testing of sandstone. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 2013, 60, 1-11.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. Aspects of Permeability in Modelling of Concrete Exposed to High Temperatures. Transport in Porous Media 2012, 95(3), 627-646.
• Davie CT, Zhang HL, Gibson A. Investigation of a continuum damage model as an indicator for the prediction of spalling in fire exposed concrete. Computers & Structures 2012, 94-95, 54-69.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bićanić N. A fully generalised, coupled, multi-phase, hygro-thermo-mechanical model for concrete. Materials and Structures 2010, 43(1 - Supplement), 13-33.
• Robson CJ, Davie CT, Gosling PD. Investigation into the Form of the Load-Induced Thermal Strain Model. In: Computational Modelling of Concrete Structures (EURO-C). 2010, Rohrmoos/Schladming, Austria: Taylor & Francis Group.
• Davie CT, Zhang HL, Gibson A. Investigation of a Continuum Damage Model as an Indicator for the Prediction of Spalling in Fire Exposed Concrete. In: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. 2010, Southampton, UK.
• Davie CT, Zhang HL. Numerical Investigation of Damage and Spalling in Concrete Exposed to Fire. In: Computational Modelling of Concrete Structures (EURO-C). 2010, Rohrmoos/Schladming, Austria: Taylor & Francis Group.
• Zhang H, Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. A Numerical Model for Prediction of Spalling of Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures. In: Applications of Structural Fire Eginnering: proceedings of international conference. 2009, Czech Technical University, Prague.
• Zhang HL, Davie CT. FEM Analysis of Concrete Exposed to elevated Temperatures Using a Coupled Thermo-Hygro-Mechanical-Damage Model. In: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2009, Nottingham, UK.
• Zhang H, Davie CT. Finite Element Analysis of Pore Pressures and Thermally Induced Stresses for Spalling of concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures. In: 1st International Workshop on Concrete Spalling due to Fire Exposure. 2009, Leipzig, Germany: MFPA.
• Robson CJ, Davie CT. Modelling the Load-Induced Thermal Strain of Concrete. In: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2009, University of Nottingham.
• Davie CT, Zhang HL, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. Computational Modelling of Concrete Exposed to Fire: The Effects of Coupled Hygro-Thermo-Mechancial Behaviour on the Development of Spalling in Concrete Structures. In: Fifth International Conference on Structures in Fire (SiF08). 2008, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: NTU.
• Robson CJ, Davie CT. Modelling the Strain Behaviour of Heated Concrete as a Two-Phase Isotropic Composite Using the Concept of Effective Stress. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. 2008, Newcastle University.
• Zhang H, Davie CT. Numerical Investigation of Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. 2008, Newcastle University.
• Helm P, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical Modelling o the Stability of Shallow Mine Workings. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. 2008, Newcastle University.
• Helm PR, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of the stability of shallow mine workings. In: Advances in transportation geotechnics : proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics. 2008, Nottingham, UK: Taylor & Francis: London.
• Bicanic N, Pearce C, Davie C. Computational modelling of safety critical concrete structures at elevated temperatures. In: Extreme Man-Made and Natural Hazards in Dynamics of Structures. 2007, Opatija, Croatia: Springer.
• Kukla K, Pearce CJ, Davie CT, Bicanic N. Modelling of Transport Processes in Concrete at Elevated Temperatures. In: 15th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2007, University of Glasgow: Civil-Comp Press.
• Pearce CJ, Kukla K, Davie CT, Bicanic N. An alternative formulation for sorption isotherms used in the modelling of transport processes in concrete at elevated temperatures. In: 14th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. 2006, Queen's University, Belfast.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bićanić N. Coupled heat and moisture transport in concrete at elevated temperatures - Effects of capillary pressure and adsorbed water. Numerical Heat Transfer Part A: Applications 2006, 49(8), 733-763.
• Pearce CJ, Kukla K, Davie CT, Bicanic N. Modeling of transport processes in concrete at elevated temperatures - an alternative formulation for sorption isotherms. In: Computational Modelling of Concrete Structures, EURO-C. 2006, Mayrhofen, Tirol, Austria: Balkema.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. Effect of Fluid Transport on the Structural Integrity of Concrete Nuclear Pressure Vessels. In: Proceedings of 13th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2005, University of Sheffield, Sheffield.
• Pearce CJ, Davie CT, Bicanic N. Effects of Fluid Transport on the Integrity of Concrete Structures. In: Proceedings of VIII International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS VIII). 2005, Barcelona, Spain: CIMNE.
• Bicanic N, Pearce CJ, Davie CT, Kourepinis D. Some Aspects of Computational Modelling of Safety Critical Concrete Structures. In: 5th GRACM International Congress on Computational Mechanics. 2005, Limassol.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. Comparative Study of Multi-Physics Formulations for Heat and Moisture Transport in Concrete at High Temperatures. In: Multi-physics and Multi-scale Computer Models in Non-linear Analysis and Optimal Design of Engineering Structures under Extreme Conditions, NATO Advanced Research Workshop, PST.ARW980268. 2004, Bled, Slovenia: University of Ljubljana.
• Davie CT, Pearce CJ, Bicanic N. Influence of Capillary Pressure and Adsorbed Water Diffusion on Heat and Moisture Transport in Concrete at High Temperatures. In: Proceedings of 12th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2004, University of Cardiff, Cardiff.
• Pearce CJ, Davie CT, Nielsen CV, Bicanic N. A Transient Thermal Creep Model for the Hygral-Thermal-Mechanical Analysis of Concrete. In: Proceedings of VII International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS VII). 2003, Barcelona, Spain: CIMNE.
• Pearce CJ, Davie CT, Nielsen CV, Bicanic N. A Transient Thermal Creep Model for the Hygral-Thermal-Mechanical Analysis of Concrete. In: Proceedings of 11th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2003, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow: University of Strathclyde Publishing.
• Davie CT, Bicanic N. Failure criteria for quasi-brittle materials in lattice-type models. Communications in Numerical Methods in Engineering 2003, 19(9), 703-713.
• Davie CT, Bicanic N. Failure Criteria for Quasi-Brittle Materials in Lattice Models. In: Proceedings of 10th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2002, University of Wales, Swansea: Faculty of Engineering.
• Davie CT. Particulate Mechanics Framework for Modelling Multi-Physics Processes in Fracturing Geomaterials. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2002. Department of Civil Engineering.
• Davie CT, Bicanic N. Progressive Fracturing Using Lattice Models. In: Proceedings of 9th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering - UK. 2001, University of Birmingham, Birmingham: School of Civil Engineering.
• Davie CT, Bicanic N. Progressive Fracturing Using Lattice Models. In: Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Analysis of Discontinuous Deformation. 2001, Glasgow: University of Glasgow.