Presentation
Presentation
Ana Cristina Freire
Head of Unit
Presentation
The Transports Infrastructure Unit develops studies in the field of road and airport pavements and also in the field of railways and its foundations, namely in the following aspects:
· Characterization, evaluation and analysis of materials behaviour, including non-traditional materials, such as recycled materials and industrial by-products;
· Observation, modelling and evaluation of the structural and functional behaviour of transport infrastructures;
· Definition of criteria and methods for pavement design and support to the design and lay-out of railway lines;
· Asset management studies related to maintenance, rehabilitation and renewal of transport infrastructures;
Support to the quality management of transport infrastructures projects, including the analysis and processes management and the preparation of technical and management documentation, in the various stages of structures' life cycle.
Activity
The activity developed at the Transport Infrastructure Unit aims to contribute to ensuring the quality of transport infrastructures, including several aspects, namely, safety, user’s comfort, efficiency of services and environmental sustainability, by considering the need to optimize the resources used in their construction, rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance.
The Unit develops a set of activities, namely:
• Research and Innovation (R&I);
• Provision of Science and Technology services;
• Specialized technical consultancy activities, supporting the construction industry;
• Technical assessment of products;
• Characterization tests and performance evaluation of materials and products;
• Participation in activities within the framework of standardization, namely in Technical Standardization Committees in the area of paving materials (CEN/TC 227; CT 129), aggregates (CEN/TC 154; CT 154) and railway applications (CEN/TC 256; CT143);
• Organization and participation in scientific and technical meetings;
• Advanced training.
The Unit integrates a Laboratory approved by IPAC, Pavements and Materials for Transport Infrastructures Laboratory, which performs a wide range of characterization tests on paving materials and railway infrastructure materials, in particular aggregates, bituminous binders, bituminous mixtures, and materials treated with cement and other non-traditional binders. It is also dedicated to support the in-situ characterization of transport infrastructures by performing field tests aiming at the evaluation of surface and structural characteristics of those infrastructures.
Within the scope of the studies carried out within the framework of LNEC's research and innovation (R&I) strategy, the Unit has been developing and supporting several master's dissertations and doctoral theses, in collaboration with Portuguese and foreign universities.