Past, current and future use of physical models in civil engineering design

Prior to the 1970s it was common for the designers of major civil engineering projects to use experimental tests on reduced-scale physical models to complement design calculations made by hand. Since then the use of physical models has declined as the power and reliability of computer modelling has grown. However, they have by no means disappeared. Following a review of the growth of physical modelling since the 1870s, this paper provides an overview of how it is still able to make an essential contribution to civil engineering design, particularly when used alongside numerical modelling, and how such work may develop in the future.