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Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future

Deliverables

Draft Periodic Report

Progress Report

Annual Workshop/Schools

Schools • S1 School: Advanced Geomechanics and fundamentals of Sustainability and Environmental Impact • S2 School: Advanced geotechnical design and fundamentals of Carbon cycle and Greenhouse effect. • S3 School: Low carbon design in current geotechnical practice • S4 School for Industry: Novel low carbon technologies for geotechnical infrastructure. Workshops • W1 Workshop: Aligning research objectives with industry needs • W2 Workshop: Design concepts for low-carbon geo-infrastructure • W3 Workshop: From design concepts to technological solutions • C Conference: Geotechnical Infrastructure and the Low-Carbon Agenda

Supervisory Board of the network

Mid-term review meeting

Novel geomaterials reinforced with natural fibres

Objectives Investigate mechanical behaviour (i.e. stiffness and strength) of compacted clay samples at a range of water contents reinforced with randomly distributed inexpensive natural fibres Expected Results Feasibility of eco-reinforced compacted soils as a sustainable material for routine use in construction and improvement of current empirical approaches for fibre-reinforced geomaterials by applying modern unsaturated soil mechanics

Technical criteria and procedures for implementing novel concepts into design of low-carbon geotechnical structures

Objectives To develop and refine routine procedures for design of low-carbon geotechnical structures based on all the scientific contributions developed in TERRE through the individual PhD projects Expected Results A technical document developed to a stage of pre-guidelines, where technical and carbon calculations of different novel design concepts are developed and discussed.

Manual for carbon footprint assessment in geotechnical construction

Objectives Develop methods for carbon footprint assessment in geotechnical construction where resource consumption and environmental effects are taken into account. The approach is based on the adaption to geotechnical construction of known carbon footprint assessment techniques developed for buildings and above-ground infrastructure (i.e. life-cycle analysis). Expected Results Procedures for carbon footprint assessment techniques and more global environmental impact of different geotechnical technologies developed in the network using a methodology that integrates infrastructure characteristics (i.e. resource consumption and environmental effects) and impact of eco-techniques studied in the network (e.g. vegetation)

Low-impact lime treated geo-materials for efficient reuse and recycling

Objectives Investigate mechanical response (stiffness and shear strength) of clayey soils (marginal geomaterials) mixed with lime in low fractions as affected by short-term chemical reactions Expected Results Deeper understanding of short-term effects of lime on soil microstructure and hydro-mechanical behaviour and conceptual model for field implementation

‘Engineered’ bio-interfaces for stabilisation of geo-infrastructure

Objectives • Monitor the moisture evolution in a newly-vegetated ground (seeded or transplanted) in large-scale laboratory experiment and relate it to root architecture to establish a relationship between the evolution of suction profile and root growth • Investigate a new hydro-seeding technique to encourage vegetation growth as a means to stabilise diffuse landslides. The mechanical and hydrological effects of vegetation growth will be monitored at a highly instrumented site near Naples in pyroclastic covers susceptible to debris-flows. • Monitor the root-enhanced soil strength evolution for a newly-vegetated ground in large-scale laboratory experiment and relate it to root architecture to establish a relationship between the evolution of strength and root growth. • Investigate a softer engineering approach based on the stimulation of existing populations to form biofilms, such that associated products (e.g. Exopolysaccharides - EPS) to contribute to soil stability and resistance to erosion Expected Results • A model to predict suction in the short term based on existing dynamic model for root growth. • A deep understanding of the interaction of moisture regime and vegetation in pyroclastic slopes and guidelines for hydro-seeding depending on morphology and soil type • A model to predict vegetated soil strength in the short term based on existing dynamic model for root growth. • In depth understanding of mechanical effects of microbial activity on mechanical response of soils and approach to ‘engineer’ soil bacteria to stabilise and protect slopes from erosion

Geothermal energy exchanger embedded in conventional shallow geotechnical structures

Objectives Development of methods to use shallow geotechnical structures as heat exchanger systems based on seasonal energy storage systems (thermal energy stored in the ground in summer and extracted in winter). Expected Results Temperature effects on the soil and interface behaviour and efficiency of ‘shallow’ heat exchange process based on hydro—thermal flux modelling

Engineered soil-atmosphere sandwiched interfaces for ‘climate enhanced’ geo-infrastructure

Objectives One-dimensional experimental tests and numerical modelling will be carried out to investigate the performance of different sandwiched interfaces to enhance evaporation and hamper rainwater infiltration Expected Results Numerical modelling of the coupled hydro-mechanical problem (including local non-equilibrium phenomena occurring within interface material pores) and conceptual model for assemblage of sandwiched interfaces

Timber materials for concrete/steel-free geostructures

Objectives Explore the use of bio-based material such as timber and its derived engineered products, for sheet pile and crib wall structures. Identifying bio-based materials that are locally available and can be subjected to low-impact surface treatment to make it resistant to bacterial attacks and exposure to the atmosphere. Develop a time depended model which takes in to account soil-air-structure interactions. Develop new types of bio-based retaining walls in conjunction with WIKA using low impact timber or modified bio-based material. Expected Results Design criteria for selection and treatment of bio-based construction material to be used for sheet pile and crib walls. Advanced time depended interaction model which could be interlinked with a service life model.

‘Engineering’ vegetation for carbon sequestration and storage in new earthfills

Objectives Quantify the incorporation of organic matter originating from roots into the soil, and obtain dynamic insight on the effects of root activity and penetration on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and composition in the close vicinity of roots under vegetation and in fallow soil. Expected Results Stocks of root carbon, SOC and soil isotopic C at different soil depths in compacted earthfills in the laboratory and near railway lines (southern France) equipped with rhizotrons.

Earthen construction materials for concrete/steel-free geostructures

Objectives Investigate mechanical behaviour at a range of as-formed water contents and wetting-induced water contents of compacted clay samples reinforced with suction Expected Results Feasibility of suction-reinforced earthen materials and improvement of current empirical approaches for earthen material design by applying modern unsaturated soil mechanics

Web-based material

• Project website • YouTube broadcasting • Facebook page

Publications

Mechanical properties of biopolymer-stabilised soil-based construction materials

Author(s): Sravan Muguda Viswanath, Samuel John Booth, Paul Neil Hughes, Charles Edward Augarde, Celine Perlot, Agostino Walter Bruno, Domenico Gallipoli
Published in: Géotechnique Letters, Issue 7/4, 2017, Page(s) 1-18, ISSN 2045-2543
Publisher: ICE Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1680/jgele.17.00081

Multi-scale effects on the hydraulic behaviour of a root-permeated and compacted soil

Author(s): Alessandro Fraccica, Enrique Romero, Thierry Fourcaud
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 12014, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: EDP sciences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199212014

Thermal design and full-scale thermal response test on Energy Walls

Author(s): Jacopo Zannin, Alessio Ferrari, Maxime Pousse, Lyesse Laloui
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 18011, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: ES3 Web of Conferences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199218011

An experimental investigation on the water retention behaviour of a silty soil for the computation of the lateral earth thrust on a retaining wall

Author(s): Gianluca Speranza, Alessio Ferrari, Maxime Pousse, Lyesse Laloui
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 07011, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: E3S Web of Conferences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199207011

Long-term performance and life cycle assessment of energy piles in three different climatic conditions

Author(s): Melis Sutman, Gianluca Speranza, Alessio Ferrari, Pyréne Larrey-Lassalle, Lyesse Laloui
Published in: Renewable Energy, 2019, ISSN 0960-1481
Publisher: Pergamon Press Ltd.
DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.07.035

Sensitivity of the landslide model LAPSUS_LS to vegetation and soil parameters

Author(s): L.M.W. Rossi, B. Rapidel, O. Roupsard, M. Villatoro-sánchez, Z. Mao, J. Nespoulous, J. Perez, I. Prieto, C. Roumet, K. Metselaar, J.M. Schoorl, L. Claessens, A. Stokes
Published in: Ecological Engineering, Issue 109, 2017, Page(s) 249-255, ISSN 0925-8574
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.08.010

Monitoring of a Full-Scale Embankment Experiment Regarding Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Interactions

Author(s): Raül Oorthuis, Marcel Hürlimann, Alessandro Fraccica, Antonio Lloret, José Moya, Càrol Puig-Polo, Jean Vaunat
Published in: Water, Issue 10/6, 2018, Page(s) 688, ISSN 2073-4441
Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
DOI: 10.3390/w10060688

Influence of particle grading on the hygromechanical properties of hypercompacted earth

Author(s): Alessia Cuccurullo, Domenico Gallipoli, Agostino Walter Bruno, Charles Augarde, Paul Hughes, Christian La Borderie
Published in: Journal of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation, Issue 5/1, 2020, ISSN 2365-3159
Publisher: Springer
DOI: 10.1007/s41024-019-0066-4

Timber sheet pile-vegetation model for stream bank retaining structure

Author(s): Abhijith Kamath, Wolfgang Gard, Jan-Willem Van de Kuilen
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 12013, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: E3S Web of Conferences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199212013

Use of alkali activated high-calcium fly ash binder for kaolin clay soil stabilisation: Physicochemical evolution

Author(s): Elodie Coudert, Michael Paris, Dimitri Deneele, Giacomo Russo, Alessandro Tarantino
Published in: Construction and Building Materials, Issue 201, 2019, Page(s) 539-552, ISSN 0950-0618
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.188

Review on the Methods for Evaluation of Root Reinforcement in Shallow Landslides

Author(s): Ana Sofia Dias, Marianna Pirone, Gianfranco Urciuoli
Published in: 2017, Page(s) 641-648
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-53498-5_74

Review on Types of Root Failures in Shallow Landslides

Author(s): Ana Sofia Dias, Marianna Pirone, Gianfranco Urciuoli
Published in: 2017, Page(s) 633-640
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-53498-5_73

Enhanced interpretation of geotechnical limit analysis solutions using Discontinuity Layout Optimization

Author(s): Smith, C.C. , Gonzalez-Castejon, J. and Charles, J.
Published in: 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering., 2017, Page(s) 851-854
Publisher: ISSMGE

Preliminary observations of the shear behaviour of fungal treated soil

Author(s): Emmanuel Salifu, Gráinne El Mountassir
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 11017, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: EDP Sciences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199211017

Preliminary study on use of biopolymers in earthen construction

Author(s): Sravan Muguda, Samuel Booth, Paul Hughes, Charles Augarde, Celine Perlot, Agostino Walter Bruno, Domenico Gallipoli
Published in: UNSAT2018 - 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, 2018
Publisher: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

The effect of clay water content in the Jet Erosion Test

Author(s): Raniero Beber, Alessandro Tarantino, Matteo Pedrotti, Rebecca Lunn
Published in: E3S Web of Conferences, Issue 92, 2019, Page(s) 02016, ISSN 2267-1242
Publisher: EDP Sciences
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20199202016

Calibration of TDR probes for water content measurements in partially saturated pyroclastic slope

Author(s): Ana Sofia Dias, Marianna Pirone, Gianfranco Urciuoli
Published in: UNSAT2018 - 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, 2018
Publisher: HKUST

Numerical modelling of water breakthrough in coarse soils initially at very low degree of saturation.

Author(s): Riccardo Scarfone, Marti Lloret-Cabot, Simon J. Wheeler
Published in: UNSAT2018 - 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, 2018
Publisher: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Layout Optimization of Soil Reinforcement

Author(s): Gonzalez-Castejon J and Smith C
Published in: Proceedings of the National conference on computational mechanics, 2017
Publisher: University of Birmingham

An infiltration column to investigate experimentally the response of the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum

Author(s): Dainese R, Tarantino A, Belli A, Fourcaud T
Published in: UNSAT2018 - 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, 2018
Publisher: HKUST

Suction-enhanced geotechnical design through Capillary Barrier Systems

Author(s): Scarfone R, Lloret-Cabot M, Wheeler SJ
Published in: 15th BGA Young Geotechnical Engineers’ Symposium, 2018, Page(s) 57-58
Publisher: UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

Recent advances in the application of discontinuity layout optimization to geotechnical analysis and design problem

Author(s): C. C. Smith, Gilbert, He, J. Gonzalez-Castejon, and S. Ouakka
Published in: 17th Eur. Conf. on Soil Mechanics Geotech Eng, 2019
Publisher: The Icelandic Geotechnical Society, IGS

Geotechnical characterisation of recycled biopolymer stabilised earthen materials

Author(s): Sravan Muguda, Paul Hughes, Charles Augarde, Celine Perlot, Domenico Gallipoli, Agostino Walter Bruno
Published in: The XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 2019, ISBN 978-9935-9436-1-3
Publisher: Icelandic Geotechnical Society

The effect of ambient humidity on the stiffness and strength of a hyper-compacted silty clay for earth building

Author(s): A. Cuccurullo, D. Gallipoli, A.W. Bruno, C. Augarde, P. Hughes, C. La Borderie
Published in: UNSAT2018 - 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, 2018
Publisher: Hong Kong Institute of Science and Technology

Advances in the enzymatic stabilisation of soils

Author(s): Alessia Cuccurullo, Domenico Gallipoli, Agostino Walter Bruno, Charles Augarde, Paul Hughes, Christian La Borderie
Published in: The XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 2019
Publisher: Icelandic Geotechnical Society

Advances in the Use of Biological Stabilisers and Hyper-compaction for Sustainable Earthen Construction Materials

Author(s): Sravan Muguda, George Lucas, Paul Hughes, Charles Augarde, Alessia Cuccurullo, Agostino Walter Bruno, Celine Perlot, Domenico Gallipoli
Published in: Earthen Dwellings and Structures - Current Status in their Adoption, 2019, Page(s) 191-201, ISBN 978-981-13-5882-1
Publisher: Springer Singapore
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-5883-8_17

Soil Stabilization Against Water Erosion via Calcite Precipitation by Plant-Derived Urease

Author(s): Alessia Cuccurullo, Domenico Gallipoli, Agostino Walter Bruno, Charles Augarde, Paul Hughes, Christian La Borderie
Published in: Geotechnical Research for Land Protection and Development - Proceedings of CNRIG 2019, Issue 40, 2020, Page(s) 753-762, ISBN 978-3-030-21358-9
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-21359-6_80

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