Transportation infrastructures (roads, railways and airports) represent a strategic asset for all Countries, since they provide support to social and economic development. Their construction and maintenance need to be carried out based on a thorough understanding of engineering principles and available technologies. In such a context, the aim of the course is to provide advanced knowledge related to the behavior of construction materials, including those coming from recycling processes, and to the prediction of their performance in the field. Special emphasis is placed upon sustainability assessments, innovative design systems, and to the most recently developed modelling approaches. The content and methodological approach of the course are consistent with those used in similar courses in the international context.

It is expected that students attending the course will develop a solid understanding of the complexities of the construction and maintenance processes of roads, railways and airports, with the consequent capability of significantly contributing to their design and implementation. It is also envisioned that they will be able to autonomously identify critical issues and to solve practical problems that may arise in specific site conditions. Based on the work done during lessons and exercise sessions, students will be confident in critically analyzing technical specification, standards and design documents. Furthermore, they will be prepared to make use of their analytical skills for the optimized planning and evaluation of all construction activities. The abovementioned learning achievements may be of professional value for those who will providing their services to any of the stakeholders involved in the design, construction and management of transportation infrastructures (e.g. Engineering Consultancy firms, Contractors, Administration, Third Party Laboratories).

Students are required to have a solid background in mathematics, physics, structural mechanics and soil mechanics.

– General overview of transportation infrastructures and of related design and construction processes – Principles of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) – Earthworks (equipment and construction, advanced testing and modelling, soil improvement and stabilization, surface and sub-surface drainage systems) – Road and airport pavements (pavement types, equipment and construction, materials and distresses, mechanics of materials, recycled and innovative materials, advanced testing and modelling, maintenance operations, pavement design principles and methods) – Railway tracks (track components, equipment and construction, thermal behavior, track control) – Case studies

The course includes lectures and exercise sessions according to the following structure: Lectures: 60 hours Lectures will provide students with the technical and scientific tools necessary for the understanding of the construction and maintenance processes of roads, railways and airports. Exercise sessions: 20 hours Exercise sessions will give students the opportunity of making use of the knowledge acquired during the lectures, with the solution of practical problems related to the construction and maintenance of roads, railways and airports. Students will be guided in solving the exercises in class by an Instructor. Furthermore, they will be required to prepare a Final Report containing all the exercises solved during the course.

Slides presented in class (available on the web page of the course) Reading material provided by the Instructors

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria;

Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam;

... Written test: The written test will have a duration of 90 minutes and students will not be allowed to use notes, other reference material (e.g. manuals and books), and multimedia devices with web access (e.g. smartphones, smartwatches and tablets). They will be allowed to use a scientific calculator. The exam will be organized in the following two modules: 1. module with multiple choice questions; 2. module with short exercises and open questions. Prior to enrollment to the written test, students are required to upload the Exercises Final Report in the appropriate section of the course webpage (at least one week before the date of the written exam). The written test aims to verify the achievement of the competences and skills outlined in the “Expected learning outcomes” section. Oral exam: To be admitted to the oral exam, students must obtain a grade of at least 18/30 in the written test. The oral exam will have a duration of approximately 30 minutes. It will consist in a discussion of the written test and in questions on the topics presented in the course lectures. The oral test aims to verify the ability of the student to critically analyze studied topics and to present them appropriately. Final grade: Final grade will be calculated as the weighted average of the grades obtained in the written test (35%) and in the oral exam (65%).

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.