Development of constitutive and numerical formulations for the analysis coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical problems (THM). Application to the analyses of large-scale field experiments carried out in underground laboratories.
Numerical analysis of large-scale infrastructure projects.
Performance of numerical analyses using advanced constitutive models and computational techniques to assist the design, construction and monitoring of large-scale infrastructure projects.
Advance image analysis techniques for laboratory experiments in soils including large displacements and deformations. Measurements of degree of saturation based on infrared-images.
Research in unsaturated soil mechanics covers the development of constitutive models, specialized testing, numerical analysis and application to a variety of Geotechnical and Environmental problems.
Comparison of measured deviatoric deformations in high number cyclic triaxial tests of unsaturated compacted samples and model predictions
Degree of saturation of a sand column subjected to an infiltration test. Image obtained by Short Wave Infra Red (SWIR) camera.
Rockfill Mechanics. Particle breakage. Relative humidity effect. DEM modelling.
Work in progress: (Alvarado, Romero, Alonso): Time dependent compressibility of coarse granular aggregates. Effects of hydro-mechanical history and aggregate size.
Relative Humidity controlled device for testing coarse granular aggregates
Multi-scale experiments and analyses of geomaterials.
Multi-scale analyses of geomaterials are essential to provide a more in-depth understanding of processes at the microstructural level affecting the macroscopic behaviour. These analyses allow validating multi-scale constitutive models used in geotechnical applications.
References: González-Blanco et al. (2020); Nguyen et al. (2020); Yuan et al. (2020).
Multi-physics experiments and modelling of geomaterials.
This research line is devoted to performing highly coupled multi-physics and boundary value experiments to support innovative modelling approaches dealing with multi-physics processes in geomaterials and related materials.
References: Torres-Serra et al. (2020); Spagnoli et al. (2020); Alcantara et al. (2020); Fraccica et al. (2020); Sau et al. (2020).
Crystal Growth in Anhydritic Rocks. Swelling and structure interaction.
This research line is based on the study of swelling behaviour in sulphated rocks and compacted soils induced by crystal growth. The research encompasses laboratory investigations and the development of a computational tool capable to reproduce, in a coupled manner, the hydraulic, mechanical and chemical processes involved in expansions.
Thermal accelerated seismic-induced-landslides. MPM modelling of earthquake-induced rapid landslides including frictional-induced thermal effects by means the Material Point Method and Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical formulation approach. Implementation in Anura3D (Open-source code) and application in real cases.
MPM modelling of flow-landslides. Modelling real cases. Implementation of an advanced constitutive model to simulate flow-like landslides involving static liquefaction in saturated and partially saturated soils.
Design and construction of a geotechnical drum centrifuge for evaluating physical models subjected to large displacements and deformations. Measurements of displacement and degree of saturation will be made by advance image analysis techniques under development.
