Portale della Didattica

Advanced geomechanics

01VKHMX

A.A. 2022/23

Course Language

Inglese

Degree programme(s)

Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Civile - Torino

Course structure

Teaching	Hours
Lezioni	45
Esercitazioni in aula	15

Lecturers

Teacher	Status	SSD	h.Les	h.Ex	h.Lab	h.Tut	Years teaching
Dominijanni Andrea	Professore Associato	CEAR-05/A	22,5	7,5	0	0	2

Co-lectures

Espandi

Teacher	Status	SSD	h.Les	h.Ex	h.Lab	h.Tut
Musso Guido	Professore Ordinario	CEAR-05/A	22,5	7,5	0	0

Context

SSD	CFU	Activities	Area context
ICAR/07	6	B - Caratterizzanti	Ingegneria civile

Date d'appello

Orario delle lezioni

Statistiche superamento esami

Anno accademico di inizio validit�

2022/23

Presentazione
Course description

The course focuses on applications of geomechanics concerning sustainable land development and infrastructure construction, including the protection of the Environment from pollution. The course involves considering the basic physical, chemical and mechanical properties of soils to model both saturated and unsaturated conditions. Advanced mechanical constitutive models are introduced to represent the real behaviour of soils under different boundary conditions, such as climate changes and anthropic usage.

The course covers advanced topics of geotechnical engineering, providing the basis for applications of geomechanics to sustainable land development, infrastructure construction and groundwater resources preservation. The physical properties of coarse and fine soils are critically reviewed to introduce advanced constitutive models accounting for the actions of mechanical, hydraulic and chemical loads. Several applications of environmental geotechnics are dealt with, including the design of waste containment systems and vertical cutoff walls. The effects of pollutant migration are addressed through risk assessment procedures that take into account the protection of human health and the environment. Attention is paid to coupled fluid, chemical, heat, and electrical flows, which are relevant phenomena to a wide variety of applications in geotechnical engineering, including the use of engineered clay barriers for waste containment, electro-osmosis for soil consolidation, highly compacted bentonite buffers for high-level radioactive nuclear waste disposal, and electrokinetics for soil contaminant removal.

Risultati attesi
Expected Learning Outcomes

Develop an enhanced understanding of the influence of soil composition on deformation and volume change behaviour and engineering properties.

1) Develop an enhanced understanding of soil behaviour, including advanced constitutive laws for hydro-chemo-mechanical loads 2) Provide students with the basic framework for engineering solutions to environmental geotechnics problems involving waste containment systems and contaminated site remediation systems 3) Motivate students to pursue additional education and/or professional careers in geotechnical engineering.

Prerequisiti
Pre-requirements

Basic notions of hydraulics, soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering.

Basic notions of hydraulics and soil mechanics.

Programma
Course topics

Part 1. Geotechnical Modelling Introduction to the mechanics of porous media Drained and undrained conditions Dilatancy and critical state theory Elastic, elastic-perfectly plastic and elastic-hardening plastic models Cam clay and Modified Cam Clay models Part 2. Unsaturated soil mechanics Capillarity, suction, effective stress Retention curve Water dynamics Part 3. Environmental Geotechnics Landfill components and configuration Design of leachate collection and removal systems Design of low permeability barriers: landfill lining systems and cutoff walls Transport of contaminants in water solution through containment barriers Landfill risk assessment for human health and the Environment Stability problems of landfills Distribution of non-aqueous phase liquids in soils and removal systems Part 4. Coupled Phenomena in Geotechnical Engineering Chemo-mechanical behaviour of clays Osmotic and osmotically induced consolidation Thermo-hydraulic processes and evaporation Electroosmosis and electrokinetic phenomena

Part 1. Geotechnical Modelling Introduction to the mechanics of porous media Drained and undrained conditions Dilatancy and critical state theory Elastic, elastic-perfectly plastic and elastic-hardening plastic models Cam clay and Modified Cam Clay models Part 2. Unsaturated soil mechanics Capillarity, suction, effective stress Retention curve Water dynamics Barcelona Basic Model Part 3. Environmental Geotechnics Landfill components and configuration Design of leachate collection and removal systems Design of low permeability barriers: landfill lining systems and cutoff walls Transport of contaminants in water solution through containment barriers Landfill risk assessment for human health and the environment Stability problems of landfills Distribution of non-aqueous phase liquids in soils and removal systems Part 4. Coupled Phenomena in Geotechnical Engineering Chemo-mechanical behaviour of clays Osmotic and osmotically induced consolidation Thermo-hydraulic processes and evaporation Electroosmosis and electrokinetic phenomena

Sustainable development goals

Costruire un'infrastruttura resiliente e promuovere l'innovazione ed una industrializzazione equa, responsabile e sostenibile

Garantire a tutti la disponibilit� e la gestione sostenibile dell�acqua e delle strutture igienico-sanitarie.

Proteggere, ripristinare e favorire un uso sostenibile dell�ecosistema terrestre

Note
Additional information

Organizzazione dell'insegnamento
Course structure

Introduction to the mechanics of porous media Elastic, elastic-perfectly plastic and elastic-hardening plastic models Unsaturated conditions: capillarity, suction, effective stress, water dynamics Landfill components and configuration Design of leachate collection and removal systems Design of low permeability barriers: landfill lining systems and cutoff walls Transport of contaminants in solution through containment barriers Landfill risk assessment for human health and the Environment Stability problems of landfills Distribution of non-aqueous phase liquids in soils and removal systems Chemo-mechanical behaviour of clays Osmotic and osmotically induced consolidation Thermo-hydraulic processes and evaporation Electroosmosis and electrokinetic phenomena

The contents will be delivered through lectures and classwork. Periodic homework assignments will be given throughout the course. Students can prepare homework reports in a small group of 3-4 persons. Homework reports must be submitted at least one week before the date of the exam. Only for the first session of exams it is acceptable to submit the reports three days before the exam.

Bibliografia
Reading materials

Reddi, L., and Inyang, H.I., (2000). Geoenvironmental Engineering, Taylor and Francis Rowe, R.K. (2012). Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Handbook (Volume 1 and 2), Springer Wood, D.M. (2004). Geotechnical Modelling, Taylor and Francis

Didactical material including lecture slides and technical papers will be made available during the course. Suggested textbooks: Reddi, L., and Inyang, H.I., (2000). Geoenvironmental Engineering, Taylor and Francis Rowe, R.K. (2012). Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Handbook (Volume 1 and 2), Springer Wood, D.M. (2004). Geotechnical Modelling, Taylor and Francis

Criteri, regole e procedure per l'esame
Assessment and grading criteria

Modalit� di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam;

... The competencies acquired by the students will be evaluated through an oral discussion. To be admitted to the oral examination, homework reports must be submitted at least one week in advance. Only for the first session of exams it is acceptable to submit the reports three days before the exam. In the first part of the exam, the student will answer questions about the topics dealt with during the course. The discussion may involve the solution of simple exercises and the use of didactical material, such as graphs and tables presented during the lectures. In the second part of the exam, the student will be asked to illustrate two homework reports explaining the adopted methods and commenting on the obtained results.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilit� o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unit� Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione pi� idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.

Exam: Compulsory oral exam;

The competencies acquired by the students will be evaluated through an oral discussion, which is expected to last about 40 minutes. To be admitted to the oral examination, homework reports must be submitted at least one week in advance. Only for the first session of exams it is acceptable to submit the reports three days before the exam. The number of homework reports will be 4 or 5. In the first part of the exam, the student will answer questions about the topics dealt with during the course. The discussion may involve the solution of simple exercises and the use of didactical material, such as graphs and tables presented during the lectures. In the second part of the exam, the student will be asked to illustrate two homework reports explaining the adopted methods and commenting on the obtained results.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.