Fredrik Johansson

Fredrik Johansson perform research on underground structures in rock. Utilizing the underground space is essential for building and exploiting key societal functions such as roads, railways and dams. However, rock is a natural material with significant uncertainties regarding its behavior and load-bearing capacity. To prevent tunnel collapses or dam failures, it is crucial to assess the rock's load-bearing capacity and acknowledge our limited knowledge of it before construction begins. Knowledge about the rock mass as a material, securing sufficient load-bearing capacity, and tools to assess whether existing structures have adequate load-bearing capacity are examples of areas where research and development are needed. An important question is also how to extend the lifespan of existing underground structures so we don't need to build new ones. Fredrik and his research group, for example, have developed principles for constructing lined rock caverns for hydrogen storage in connection with fossil-free steel production. They have also studied the load-bearing capacity of rock fractures as part of the safety analysis and development for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and devised methods to assess the safety and extend the lifespan of existing dams founded on rock.