Prof. Peter Woodward

• Professor of Railway Geotechnical Engineering

Railway Geotechnical Engineering

• Numerical modelling of train-track critical velocities and mitigation strategies
• Numerical modelling of high-speed train induced ground vibration and propagation
• Full scale experimental modelling of railway track using the GRAFT (Geopavement and Railways Accelerated Fatigue Testing) facility
• Track geosynthetic reinforcement technologies for railways
• Three-dimensional insitu polyurethane reinforcement of railway track ballast - the XiTRACK technique
• Field application of developed railway track technologies (technology spin-out and knowledge transfer)

1. Woodward, P.K. and Molenkamp, F. Application of an advanced multi-surface kinematic constitutive soil model, International. Journal for Numerical Analytical. Metheds in Geomechanics. 23, No.15, 1995-2043, (1999)
2. Woodward, P.K & Berenji, A.P. Advanced numerical investigation of Terzaghi’s superposition theory, Advances in Engineering Software, 32, 797-804. (2002)
3. Banimahd, M. and Woodward, P.K. Load-displacement and bearing capacity of foundations on granular soils using a multi-surface kinematic constitutive model., International. Journal for Numerical Analytical. Metheds in Geomechanics. 29, (2006)
4. Woodward, P.K., Thompson, D. and Banimahd, M.. Geocomposite technology: reducing the railway maintenance cycle. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Transport Journal, Vol 160, Issue 3, 109-115, (2007)
5. Banimahd, M., Woodward, P.K., Kennedy, J.H. and Medero, G. M. Numerical study of railway train-track interaction in stiffness transitions. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Transport Journal (In Press)
6. Kennedy, J.H., Woodward, P.K., Banimahd, M. and Medero, G. M. Railway track performance investigation using GRAFT facility. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Geotechnical Journal (In Press).

• Professor Peter Woodward has a PhD in the field of numerical geotechnics from the University of Manchester. During his PhD he worked for WS Atkins in the field of earthquake engineering, analysis and design.
• He was appointed to the post of Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering in 1994 at Heriot-Watt University and to the post of Reader in Railways and Geotechnical Engineering in 2007. In 2010 he was promoted to Professor of Railway Geotechnical Engineering
• Since 2001 he has been seconded to industry for 1 day per week working on the application of polyurethane geocomposites to railway track stabilisation and reinforcement. This patented technology was spun-out from Heriot-Watt University and is now widely used across the UK railways and increasingly internationally.
• He has won multiple awards for his developed technologies, including the Highly Commended Award at the 2005 National Rail Awards, in the Innovation of the Year category.
• He has also been a previous winner of the ICE Webb Prize (2008) and the UK Young Engineers Award (2001) amongst others.
• He has acted as Principal Investigator on many research grants, most recently on EPSRC funded research on high-speed train track interactions at critical track velocities.