Applications are welcome for a 1.5-year post-doc position (with extension opportunities) to investigate the cyclic behaviour of a geomembrane energy storage system. The successful candidate will investigate the cyclic behaviour of energy storage technology recently developed in Denmark.

The work will include the design and implementation of advanced instrumentation and modelling for the energy storage system. Together in a team, a small scale field demonstration model has to be designed, and the life-cycle behaviour studied. 

Candidates should possess a PhD degree in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering or related areas, proven experience in numerical modelling, preferably including soil-structure interaction problems and cyclic loading, and excellent knowledge of soil mechanics and foundation engineering. Acquaintance with the finite element software ABAQUS® is appreciated (but not mandatory). A more detailed description of the project can be found in the attached pdf.

The project will be conducted in a team with Professor Lars Vabbersgaard Andersen, Professor (Docent) Kenny Kataoka Sørensen and Assistant Professor Hans Henning Stutz. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Hans Henning Stutz (Main supervisor) hhs@eng.au.dk

The positions will be available until they are filled.

VCPT2PDA Project: New method for driveability analysis of vibratory-driven pile based on Vibro-CPTu

Because of several problems, such as under water sound emission and material fatigue, associated with conventional impact pile driving method for offshore wind projects, there is an interest in using vibratory-driving method instead. While the lateral and axial bearing capacities of vibrated piles have been studied in two industry projects (VIBRO, 2014 and VIBRO-RESTRIKE, 2017), the pile driveability analysis (PDA) can only be predicted with a high degree of uncertainty. This can put a serious risk on using vibratory-driving method and may lead to costly down time during installation. A Vibratory cone penetration test (VCPT) has been developed and successfully tested in a predecessor project (Vibro-CPTu) as a means to assess the ground response to a vibratory penetrating object. The aim of this project is to develop a PDA approach by using vibratory CPTu results for Vibratpry-driven piles.

The research project is a collaborative approach between the science partner MARUM-University of Bremen and Deltares Institute together with the industry partners Innogy SE, COWI and Geo-Engineering.org GmbH.

The project has two open PhD positions:

Position 1: Experimental analysis including laboratory and field tests

Position 2: Numerical analysis including 1D and 3D modelling of Vibro-CPT

Details of the project, requirements for each positions and how to apply can be found in the attached document.

« Impact of climatic conditions on long term performances of treated soils »

A fully funded PhD scholarship for 3 years at the Université de Lorraine (F) is available to start in October 2020. This work will be accomplished in cooperation with the company Ginger-CEPBTP.

Waste-geomaterials generated by construction and mining activities represent more than 50% of the total waste generated in Europe, corresponding to 1.5 billion tons of excavated geomaterials that are landfilled while at the same time virgin soil and rock resources are extracted and used by the same infrastructure projects. The fundamental goal of this thesis is to contribute to the development of strategies and tools for the valorisation of waste-geomaterials, and thus to turn a waste into a valued durable construction material. Although frequently used, this technique is limited to certain materials and applications due to a lack of knowledge on the coupling between the physical and chemical actions of the binder and the geotechnical behaviour of the treated material. The challenge is to determine how the site materials can be reused in a variety of contexts (backfill, dykes, canals, retaining walls, dams, etc.).

 In this context, the main objective of the thesis is to understand the evolution of the hydromechanical characteristics of soils treated with lime and/or cement as a function of environmental stress (hydric cycle and prolonged exposure to water). For this purpose, the research work will focus on reference soils and on treated materials taken in situ, just after the treatment or on old structures, several years after the commissioning of the structure. The thesis work will combine an experimental approach and a modelling approach using the resources of the project partners. The thesis should lead to the development of an approach to take into account the alteration of the mechanical characteristics of a treated soil in the dimensioning of a geotechnical structure.

Contact : Olivier.Cuisinier@univ-lorraine.fr and Farimah.Masrouri@univ-lorraine.fr

Extended description in attachment.

PhD Advisors : Prof. Charles Aubourg (UPPA, France, charles.aubourg@univ-pau.fr),  Dr. Nicolas Beaudoin (UPPA, France, nicolas.beaudoin@univ-pau.fr), Dr. Elma Charalampidou (Heriot-Watt, Ecosse, ec10@hw.ac.uk)

PhD location: Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Heriot Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland).

This PhD thesis explores deformation bands observed in two different areas located in the southern foreland of the Pyrenees: the Boixols overlap area (Tremp basin) and the Cotiella thrust area (Armena Valley). These sites provide access to two types of host rock lithologies: Cotiella cement-limestone calcarenites and Boixols sandstones. The goals of this PhD thesis are: a) to characterise the petrophysics of these bands focusing on their textural characteristics; and  b) to evaluate the impact of the observed bands on the structural integrity of the rock mass. The PhD thesis will develop along 4 axis; work will focus on a) the (micro)structural characterisation of the terrain (geological interpretation); b) the characterisation of grain texture by 3D imaging (XR CT, petrophysical investigation); c) the understanding of the bands’ formation (including deformation and fluids the circulated history) by  reconstructing the temperature conditions using isotopic approaches;  and d) the mechanical response of samples with pre-existing  deformation bands (whose grain distribution has been previously characterised by 3D X-ray CT) accompanied by a numerical modelling of fluid flow along the samples’ volume. The first three parts will be mainly carried out at the host university (UPPA, Pau, France), and the last part will require a stay at Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland).