Synthesis

The year 2003 was a period of intensive activity for CEDEX, and this was closely associated with the major investments in infrastructures made by the Departments with which the Centre has a dual operational dependence -that in no way detracts from its status as an advanced technological centre in its own right in its specific spheres of activity-, as well as keeping up its sustained efforts in the areas of research and experimentation in pursuing the aims that were set in the Strategic Plan for 2000/2003.

As a result, and without this affecting the activities performed for other Public Bodies and the private sector, the bulk of the most outstanding tasks undertaken during the year were carried out for:

Ministry of Fomento especially for the Secretaría de Estado de Infraestructuras, through its Direcciones Generales de Carreteras and Ferrocarriles, as well as for the Ente Público Puertos del Estado and the Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias. To a lesser extent, work was also commissioned by the Subsecretaría its Centros Directivos (Secretaría General Técnica and the Direcciones Generales de la Marina Mercante and Organización, Procedimiento y Control).

Ministry of Environment particularly for the Secretaría de Estado de Aguas y Costas and, mainly for its Direcciones Generales de Obras Hidráulicas y Calidad de las Aguas and Costas. Work was also commissioned on a smaller scale by the Secretaría General de Medio Ambiente and its Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental.

Although a detailed account of the diverse activities performed by the Centres and Laboratories forming part of CEDEX is given in the different sections of this document, reference must be made to the following in this synthesis:

• Marine climate studies using numerical models and with the aid of physical models to provide assistance in designing port layouts.
• Ship Manoeuvring in ports using speeded-up numerical models and, especially, with the aid of the new Ship Manoeuvring Simulation Unit.
• Breakwater stability and functionality studies on port protection works, using the Multidirectional Wave Tank and the Large Wave Channel.
• Port sediment description studies and the effects of dumping hydrocarbon waste in port areas.
• Developing environmental quality criteria for the sand used in beach nourishment programmes.
• Analysing the effects on the sea of the waste dumped from desalination plants and its environmental impact.
• Studies with a view to developing and applying the Water Framework Directive to inland, coastal and transition waters.
• Studies with a view to implementing flood protection plans.
• Describing agricultural demand units.
• Assistance for preparing, commissioning and monitoring projects for desalination plants.
• Controlling and supervising the running of wastewater treatment plants and testing and endorsing new treated wastewater recycling technologies using ultrafiltration polymeric impermeable film.
• Estimation of phytoplankton biomasses in reservoirs and their relationship with photosynthetic pigments.
• Studies for assessing the quality of groundwater to be used for supplying drinking water.
• A study of the non-marine Antarctic aquatic ecosystems as climatic change indicators.
• Behaviour of earth dams affected by floods greater than the design floods when overtopping occurs.
• Full-scale tests to evaluate the durability of different subgrades for road pavements.
• Recommendations for designing and constructing concrete pavements containing metallic fibres, material applied in port pavements.
• Studying the use of rubber from used car-tyres in bituminous materials and using construction and demolition waste in different road pavement layers.
• Studying the effects of adding acrylic fibre to bituminous mixes in order to make them more cohesive.
• Measuring the coefficient of transverse friction and the thickness of the layers that constitute the pavements of the roads belonging to the state highway network.
• Proximity measurement method (CPX) study for measuring the noise levels on wearing courses.
• Standardising road safety equipment and giving technical recommendations concerning safety barriers for vehicles.
• Testing the components and subsystems for the European signalling system (ERTMS) for high-speed railway lines.
• Studies concerning the development of kinetic energy storage facilities for levelling out electricity consumption, to be applied to high-speed railway systems.
• Studying a multi-level converter and applying it to aeolic generation.
• Inventory of the major road and rail systems in Spain affected by Directive 2002/49/EC concerning environmental assessment and management and the Noise Act.
• Isotopic description of hydrogeological units, reservoir leakage and aquifer recharge.
• Studying the analysis and prevention of landslides affecting highways and railway lines.
• Studying the damage and structural problems affecting historic buildings and a comparative study of the treatment given to the stone material on their outer walls.
• Experiments to study the behaviour of prefabricated walls.
• Seismic simulation tests with six degrees of freedom, conducted on different items of industrial equipment for use on railway systems.
• Studying the factors involved in using aggregates from recycled concrete as materials for preparing new concretes.
• Taking in situ measurements of the optical characteristics of road markings.
• Certification tests performed on materials for road signs and galvanised metallic barriers.
• Studying the effects of earthquakes on foundations overlying granular material.
• Analysis of stress / strain behaviour prior to the failure of clays.
• Geotechnical descriptions of railway embankment and cutting sections.
• Field tests using the spectral analysis of surface waves technique on transition wedges, embankments and cuttings on high-speed rail links.
• Riprap deformability studies for port protection works.
• Preparing criteria for waterproofing and sealing waste tips.
• Studying the effects on buildings of vibrations caused by rail traffic.

Along different lines, the following activities were also of great interest in 2003:

• Groundwork for the International Conference WAVES 2005, to be held in Madrid.
• Organising the World Water Conference of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) in Madrid.
• A variety of water resource and flood protection studies in Latin America, collaborating with AECI, ICO and FAO.
• Taking part in the project SAMARIS "Sustainable and Advanced Materials for Road Infrastructure", being responsible for the "recycling techniques" work group.
• Leading the European group for establishing test specifications for the equipment fitted to high-speed trains.
• Work for implementing SIAGUA (Latin American Water Information System).
• Participating in the SUPERTRACK Project for the conservation and maintenance of high-speed railway lines with ballast structures.

Finally, where activities carried out in the area of the history of public works is concerned, the following must be mentioned:

• The opening in St Petersburg (Russia), of the "Agustín de Betancourt. The Beginning of Modern Engineering in Europe" Exhibition, inaugurated by H. M. Príncipe de Asturias.
• Groundwork for the exhibition entitled "Civil Engineering in Painting", which is due to be opened in February 2004, at the Museo de la Real Academia de San Fernando (Madrid).