Landmark geotechnical centrifuge facility Prof Ng served as Director of the University’s pioneering and world-leading Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility from establishment in until early last year. When it came on stream, the HKUST centrifuge was equipped with the rst D shaking table globally and the world’s most advanced four-axis robotic manipulator. It has gone on to assist the University’s researchers, other academics, government departments and industry to undertake tests on soil behavior and properties that could not have been carried out in the region otherwise. One memorable occasion, among many, involved simulating conditions in the eld to show why a newly constructed but unoccupied -story apartment building collapsed in Shanghai in . The test was successfully carried out with live feed from the HKUST centrifuge to the senior manager concerned in Shanghai, watching via the Internet. “Nerve-wracking but important” is how Prof Ng recalled that day. Comparison of model and prototype IN FOCUS 5 Potential deep-seated failure Potential shallow failure Soil nail Grass root Grass Live pole Diverse vegetation Debris flows on June , blocked the North Lantau Expressway for hours Integrated bioengineered (ecologically balanced) live cover for natural slopes Collapsed building in the eld Collapsed building in centrifuge test Photo credit: Head of Geotechnical Engineering O ce and Director of Civil Engineering and Development, HKSAR Government (from plate of GEO report no. )
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