University: Charles University
Supervisor: David Mašín

Hypoplastic model for unsaturated expansive clays has recently been implemented into an inhouse finite element code SIFEL developed at Czech Technical University. It has been used successfully in simulating behaviour of bentonite buffer in planned nuclear waste repositories.Recently a European framework funded project BEACON has been setup to investigate the process of homogenization of bentonite blocks and pellets to guarantee adequate sealing properties of the buffer. In the proposed project it is planned to both investigate the behaviour of the buffer in laboratory experiments and to numerically model its behaviour.
Laboratory testing will be performed on newly acquired THM unsaturated oedometric apparatus, enabling to perform tests up to 150 °C. Numerical modelling will be done using SIFEL finite element code with hypoplastic constitutive model. The PhD project will thus stimulate both laboratory and numerical skills of the applicant, while he will have a freedom to decide specific orientation of the project depending on his/her interests.

Links: https://soilmodels.com/phd-position-bentonite/
https://www.stars-natur.cz/phd-positions/geology/hypoplastic-model-for-unsaturated-expansive-clays-used-in-simulations-of-bentonite-homogenization-for-nuclear-waste-repositories?back=7nlrl