Slobodan Mickovski

Glasgow Caledonian University, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Faculty Member

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Experienced researcher with civil and environmental engineering background who has worked in sectors including erosion protection, agriculture, forestry, rail, highways, flood and landslide mitigation, marine and on-shore energy developments. Design experience includes preparation and appraisal of factual and interpretative reports, feasibility studies, Eurocode 7 design, ground investigation, design and analysis of foundations including piled foundations, retaining walls, ground anchorages, ground improvement, earthworks, slope stability and soil stabilisation. Construction experience includes piling, ground treatment, earthworks, soil nailing, deep excavations, reservoir engineering, and reinforced concrete structures. Specialist expertise in ground bio- and eco-engineering solutions and erosion protection through sustainable use of vegetation including vegetated natural or man-made slopes, green roofs and walls, and natural hazard remediation.

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Papers by Slobodan Mickovski

Scope for Sustainable Soil Stabilisation in SIDS: Mauritius Case Study

2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA)

Glossary on renewable energy and landscape quality - the glossary

Tájökológiai Lapok

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Coastal slope instability in contrasting geoenvironmental conditions

With changing climate and increasing soil erosion rates the stability of coastal slopes worldwide... more With changing climate and increasing soil erosion rates the stability of coastal slopes worldwide gains importance every day. We investigated the mechanisms of instability on two coastal slopes in two different bio-geo-climatic regions with a view of comparing the potential destabilising factors, hazards and consequences from a multi-disciplinary aspect. The slopes in north-east Scotland comprise thin silts and sands over sandstone bedrock. Both shallow slips and erosion processes have shaped the slope which is also further destabilised by the wave action from the sea. Grasses, shrubs and planted trees are partially covering the slope face. The slopes in Brazil comprise thick sand deposits over weak sandstone bedrock. Shallow translational slips as well as water and wind erosion effects dominate on the mainly fallow slope. In the vegetated areas of the slope, climbers and grasses are recorded with an occasional presence of a tree. We conclude that the mechanisms of failure in different regions can be similar and so can be the destabilising factors. Through numerical modelling and ecotechnological specification, we propose hazard mitigation measures and remediation techniques that are of value across the climatic regions which would provide resilience for the coastal slopes liable to instability. We also propose an engineering approach to the solution of this type of problem involving knowledge from a number of disciplines related to geotechnics from the perspective of preservation of natural resources.

Comparison of settlement calculation methods for the design of a gravity base foundation in deep water

The vast majority of offshore wind farms today are supported by mono-pile foundations. Until fair... more The vast majority of offshore wind farms today are supported by mono-pile foundations. Until fairly recently mono-piles have been un-challenged as the primary foundation type, but this is now changing. With offshore wind farms moving into deeper water, monopiles are becoming a less suitable option, not only economically but also in terms of function. This paper focuses on concrete gravity base foundations as an alternative to mono-piles for future offshore wind developments. More specifically the focus is on the geotechnical aspects of concrete gravity base foundation design, particularly the calculation of foundation settlement using both traditional analytical and numerical modelling methods. A design case study is performed using site-specific data for a future Scottish Territorial Waters offshore wind farm site. This consisted primarily of geotechnical stability and settlement calculations. The findings indicated that there was a great compliance between traditional analytical methods and numerical modelling approaches.

Testing of self-drilled hollow bar soil nails

Current standards and best practice guidance recognise that testing of self-drilled soil nails ca... more Current standards and best practice guidance recognise that testing of self-drilled soil nails can be problematic as conventional packers and debonded lengths cannot be constructed. As a result, this provides difficulty in testing and confirming the ultimate bond resistance within the passive zone of a soil nailed slope, and thus the soil nail lengths determined within the design. This paper provides a summary and review of the various testing procedures adopted for a recent soil nail construction project in Scotland. Approximately 1,500 self-drilled hollow bar soil nails were installed to depths between 7 m and 24 m to stabilise a 40 m high coastal slope with a history of instability. Fifty six sacrificial test nails were installed and tested at the site by various methods to validate the soil nail lengths determined within the design. These methods, the associated construction issues and design assumptions, and the subsequent test results have been discussed in this paper.

BIM for enhancement of civil engineering practice: integrated design and construction in civil engineering

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European case study for modelling debris flow with UBCD Flow model

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jul 23, 2012

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BIM awareness, knowledge, and implementation within a multi-disciplinary design consultancy in Scotland

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a relatively new concept in the UK construction industry.... more Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a relatively new concept in the UK construction industry. Born in recent years, and mandated by the Scottish Government in 2017, this concept has become an extremely relevant topic and the infrastructure and the government industry is still coming to grips with its utilisation, especially with the initiative for all centrally-funded projects to utilise BIM as a design tool. The aim of this paper is to investigate the levels of awareness, knowledge and implementation of BIM within the construction industry in Scotland in order to benchmark against the predicted and desired levels of maturity at UK level. To achieve this aim, we surveyed a broad spectrum of construction professionals from Scotland using structured cross-sectional questionnaire surveys and semi-structured personal interviews. The results of the survey show that despite the relatively high level of awareness, the knowledge of BIM processes and methodologies is lagging behind the e...

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Embedding technology to support the development of problem-solving skills in geotechnical design students

The aim of this study is to explore the design of an effective learning environment to support th... more The aim of this study is to explore the design of an effective learning environment to support the development of problem-solving skills through introduction of real-world case studies where the students are challenged to design a solution within a simulated work environment. The project focus is on the potential for enhancement of the delivery and assessment of the Geotechnical Design module using technology that will support student learning and the development of problem-solving skills. Action research methodology was used to develop and implement a new blended learning activity for undergraduate Geotechnical Design students which introduced online learning activities and environments to deliver essential parts of geotechnical engineering curriculum such as design reporting which is a requirement of the current Eurocodes. The action had a positive impact on the development of real world problem solving skills of the students and allowed the students, on top of acquiring the techn...

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BIM za unapreduvanje na gradeznata praktika: integrirano proektiranje i izvedba na gradezni objekti

The effect of ground investigations on the civil engineering design for windfarms in Scotland

Published guidance is intended to provide a robust technical approach to assessing the underlying... more Published guidance is intended to provide a robust technical approach to assessing the underlying ground conditions at proposed windfarm developments, with a large focus on the need for peat investigation and assessment of peat slide risk and disturbance. The civil engineering design process for windfarms takes into consideration all findings of ground investigations but, with exception of peat landslide issues, ground investigation design relies on the knowledge and experience of geotechnical engineers to ensure sufficient ground investigations take place to inform an economical, efficient civil design while, in turn, meet the varying parameters of turbine manufacturer’s specifications. Extensive critical literature review revealed that there is an opportunity for establishing good practice guidance in ground investigation schemes for windfarms. Additionally, there is also a need to evaluate the effects of ground investigations on civil design process for windfarms. For this study ...

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Renewable energy potential of roadside grass cuttings

Roadside grass verges are an important part of transport corridors and have a critical role in en... more Roadside grass verges are an important part of transport corridors and have a critical role in ensuring road user safety. However, the verges require ongoing maintenance on a regular basis throughout the growth season and throughout the design life of the transport infrastructure. The collection of the verge cuttings, which are currently left in situ, may create environmental benefits such as economic and energy benefits from biogas production. This study focuses on Scotland where there are 56,000 km of verge potential and where the grassed verges commonly receive a 1.2 m swath cut two times per year. Our investigations revealed that the potential productive land along Scotland’s road network was of the order of 270x10 m. Using comparative statistical analysis, we have estimated the potential average dry mass of cuttings per kilometer to be between 300 kg and 400 kg, yielding a biochemical methane potential of 0.271 m per kilogram of volatile solids added. The cautious estimate show...

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Promoting double loop learning in flood risk management in the Scottish context

Soil nailing the green way: sustainable stabilisation of a failing slope using innovative soil nail head design to give a fully vegetated green slope finish

Innovative recessed soil nails were used on a conservation slope in Aberdeenshire to help stabili... more Innovative recessed soil nails were used on a conservation slope in Aberdeenshire to help stabilise the slope and provide a fully green vegetated slope finish. Fifteen hundred soil nails were employed on a 300m long section of the existing unstable coastal slope at Stonehaven as part of landslip preventive works. Soil nail heads were designed as individual recessed concrete pads set into the slope surface, buried beneath pre-seeded bio-degradable grow bags and erosion control matting. In this way the pre-existing fully vegetated appearance was retained as requested by the local residents, planning authority and client. This design provided both local and global stabilisation of a 40m high slope, sustainability in design, limited disruption to local residents, and aesthetic requirements of this conservation slope. This paper concentrates on the innovative soil nail head design, not normally used in the UK, to both stabilise the slope and provide full vegetation cover.

Stability analysis of sea cliffs in the coastal zone of Baía Formosa / Rio Grande do Norte State – Brazil

Ecological Engineering - Addressing Climate Challenges and Risks [Working Title]

Environmental effects of implementation of offshore wind turbines close to coastal communities

The energy supply sector is considered a major polluter by the emission of greenhouse gases in th... more The energy supply sector is considered a major polluter by the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Practical methodology for the design and management of instability in hard rock tunnels

The stability of rock faces in underground facilities is critical when considering their lifespan... more The stability of rock faces in underground facilities is critical when considering their lifespan as well as the health and safety of the operatives working within them. Recent years have seen an evolution of new techniques for inspecting tunnel faces and options available to remediate instability the Lidar technology is becoming more readily available and necessary for assessment of the stability of rock faces. However, rockbolts and sprayed concrete remain the most commonly used solutions within underground facilities in Scotland. These have to be suitably specified to ensure their required design life can be achieved and, as such, detailed site investigation must be carried out prior to their installation. Factors such as groundwater flows and chemical aggression are variables that can potentially be considered when specifying levels of corrosion protection for rockbolts or the drainage requirements of a sprayed concrete system prior to application. In order to ascertain the exac...

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A Local Authority’s Risk-Based Approach to Principal Inspection Frequency of Structures

Scotland’s bridges are an integral part of its infrastructure, therefore it is imperative that th... more Scotland’s bridges are an integral part of its infrastructure, therefore it is imperative that they are inspected and maintained correctly. Current standards state that general inspections (GI’s) are carried out every 2 years and principal inspections (PI’s) every 6 years. This study examines a risk-based approach to principal inspection frequency and development of a tool for relevant structures. The current inspection practices were investigated with regards to the research behind the existing inspection intervals. A full literature review was carried out on a number of case studies and documents to ascertain all options that could be utilised for a risk-based approach of this type. The major factors that could affect the structural stability of highway structures were explored and a shortlist of factors was finalised. These factors were weighted against each other, e.g. Bridge Condition Index (BCIcrit) weighted higher than span length of the structure. Individual variables were r...

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Innovative Approach in the Stabilisation and Erosion Protection of Coastal Slopes in Scotland

Coastal Management, 2016

Slobodan Mickovski

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