Access profile

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the scientific field of the programme, there are a wide range of degrees that qualify applicants for admission. For the near future, the applicants considered most suitable for admission to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering will be bachelor’s degree holders with a scientific and technological background who have completed a master's degree in Civil Engineering or one related to the scientific field of the programme (i.e. in structural engineering and construction, geotechnical and earthquake engineering, water and environmental engineering, maritime engineering, transport engineering and regional planning, environmental engineering and sustainability, or computational engineering).

In addition to having suitable academic qualifications, it is considered important that applicants have certain personal characteristics—namely, an interest in the research projects carried out within the framework of the programme; critical and analytical skills; initiative, perseverance and persistence in their academic work; the ability to work in a team; and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Therefore, to gain admission to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering for the research period of their studies, applicants must submit:
• An official master’s degree in the field of Civil Engineering. Exceptionally, applicants with a master’s degree in a related field may be considered for admission.
• A degree equivalent to a master’s degree, issued by an EHEA member country.*
• A degree issued by a country outside the EHEA (after its equivalence has been verified).*

* The degree held by an applicant must qualify them for admission to postgraduate studies in their country of origin.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds;
g) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society.

Number of places

15

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years. When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Cervera Ruiz, Miguel

• Casas Rius, Joan Ramon
• Cervera Ruiz, Miguel
• Chiumenti, Michele
• Jimenez Quintana, Jose Antonio
• Ledesma Villalba, Alberto
• Robuste Anton, Robus
• Rodriguez Ferran, Antonio

• Barcelona School of Civil Engineering (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Office 202 – Building C2 (North Campus)
Tel.: 934 017 094
E-mail: doctorat.ec.camins@upc.edu

Agreements with other institutions

Research centres

Several high-level applied research centres and laboratories renowned for their excellence also carry out research and technology transfer in the field of civil engineering and the environment:

- International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE)
- Centre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT)
- International Centre for Coastal Resources Research (CIIRC)

Access profile

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the scientific field of the programme, there are a wide range of degrees that qualify applicants for admission. For the near future, the applicants considered most suitable for admission to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering will be bachelor’s degree holders with a scientific and technological background who have completed a master's degree in Civil Engineering or one related to the scientific field of the programme (i.e. in structural engineering and construction, geotechnical and earthquake engineering, water and environmental engineering, maritime engineering, transport engineering and regional planning, environmental engineering and sustainability, or computational engineering).

In addition to having suitable academic qualifications, it is considered important that applicants have certain personal characteristics—namely, an interest in the research projects carried out within the framework of the programme; critical and analytical skills; initiative, perseverance and persistence in their academic work; the ability to work in a team; and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Therefore, to gain admission to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering for the research period of their studies, applicants must submit:
• An official master’s degree in the field of Civil Engineering. Exceptionally, applicants with a master’s degree in a related field may be considered for admission.
• A degree equivalent to a master’s degree, issued by an EHEA member country.*
• A degree issued by a country outside the EHEA (after its equivalence has been verified).*

* The degree held by an applicant must qualify them for admission to postgraduate studies in their country of origin.

Access requirements

Applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

The Doctoral Programme Committee is responsible for deciding which students are admitted to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering based on each applicant’s curriculum vitae and how well their thesis proposal aligns with the research areas of the programme. Students may be admitted on the condition that they complete bridging courses (determined on a case-by-case basis) offered within the framework of the official postgraduate programme or other official programmes.

Before presenting their doctoral thesis, students must successfully complete any bridging courses specified as a condition for admission.

Students admitted to the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering will be attached to one of the research areas for the programme and assigned a thesis supervisor.

Admission decisions will be made based on each applicant’s curriculum vitae (with particular consideration to their academic record during the training period, ability to work in a team, and participation in research projects, conferences and publications), the degree of alignment between their doctoral thesis proposal and the research areas of the programme, and the extent to which a research group has made a commitment to fund the applicant’s work on their thesis.

All procedures related to academic administration will be governed by the UPC’s General Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies, approved by the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research.

Admission criteria and weighting
Degrees that qualify applicants for direct admission (no bridging courses required):
• Master's degree in Civil Engineering
 • A master's degree related to the scientific field of the programme

Degrees that qualify applicants for admission subject to successful completion of bridging courses:
There is no group of degrees for which it is possible to define specific bridging courses. If the Doctoral Programme Committee decides to admit an applicant with a master's degree that is not one of those which qualify applicants for direct admission, it will specify the bridging courses that the student must complete.

In general, the Committee will base its decisions on the following criteria:
• Academic record (weighting of 60%)
• Motivation (20%)
• Knowledge of languages (10%)
• Research experience (10%)

Training complements

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

Ordinary enrolment: September and October

Extraordinary enrolment: February

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

September and October

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

Activity: Tutorial.
Hours: 288.
Type: compulsory.

Activity: Courses and seminars (organised within each research group, weekly).
Hours: 30.
Type: optional.

Activity: Workshops (linked to the research projects that are the framework for the doctoral student’s activity; average of one per year).
Hours: 60.
Type: optional.

Activity: Publications (by the time a doctoral student finishes their degree, it is recommended that they have three papers published in journals with impact factors).
Hours: 120.
Type: optional.

Activity: Mobility.
Hours: 480.
Type: optional.

Activity: Research plan, document preparation, preparation of public defence.
Hours: 40.
Type: compulsory.

Activity: Research methodology.
Hours: 12.
Type: optional.

Activity: Language and communication skills.
Hours: 18.
Type: optional.

Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
Hours: 4.
Type: compulsory.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

• REGALADO LÓPEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER: Evaluación de proyectos de infraestructuras de transporte en dos etapas con impactos de no directa monetización
  
  Author: REGALADO LÓPEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 04/04/2022
  Reading date: pending
  Reading time: pending
  Reading place: pending
  Thesis director: CAMPOS CACHEDA, JOSÉ MAGÍN | SAURI MARCHAN, SERGI
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: MOURA BERODIA, JOSE LUIS
       SECRETARI: MARTINEZ REGUERO, ADRIANA HAYDEE
       VOCAL: GONZALO ORDEN, HERNÁN
  Thesis abstract: The constant and rapid population growth goes hand in hand with an increased demand for services that governments have the duty to satisfy with the problem of limited financial resources. Transport infrastructure is one of the ways to meet the need for movement of people and foster economic growth by connecting regions and cities for an exchange of goods and services. Select the right projects is crucial to achieving the stated objective, so a project evaluation process is conducted to determine whether the infrastructure alternative has sufficient net social benefit to be selected as a viable proposal. The main parameter for project evaluation is the discount of the economic costs and benefits generated by the infrastructure, commonly through a cost-benefit analysis, of different nature that are monetized to be able to perform the analysisThe costs and benefits, impacts that are considered within the cost-benefit analysis have evolved over the last twenty years, from consider only impacts that are fully convertible into monetary terms to environmental and social impacts that have had a great effort of study to achieve their quantification and monetization. There might be impacts that are more difficult to quantify and monetize in project evaluation, which have had a great research work as shown in the scientific literature to be considered in the evaluation of transportation infrastructure projects.We have reached a stage in the evaluation of projects in which we are understanding how to quantify these types of impacts without market value, but we still have the problem of being able to integrate them into the cost-benefit analysis due to the allocation of their price. The importance of these impacts is demonstrated through scientific literature, so it is necessary to find a way to consider them in the evaluation of infrastructures.Finally, a two-stage proposal is presented to consider impacts without market value within project evaluation. In the first stage, the impacts of the infrastructure are identified, the impacts with market value are quantified and discounted. In the second stage, a function is constructed with the results of the net present value of each monetized impact and the impacts without market value, using a linear programming problem to find the maximum benefit delivered by the project alternative. The solution of the problem delivers the absolute prices so that the total net value of the alternative project can be found. In addition, it distinguishes the project alternatives that provide the greatest social benefit with the inclusion of the impacts with no market value.
  
• RIBA PORRAS, SERGI: Anàlisi de susceptibilitat torrencial en conques d¿alta muntanya a partir de la proposta de paràmetres indicadors. Construcció d'una base de dades multidisciplinària per al desenvolupament d'una zonificació de perillositat torrencial. Cas específic d¿Andorra
  
  Author: RIBA PORRAS, SERGI
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 25/04/2022
  Reading date: 14/06/2022
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: ETSECCPB VIDEOCONFERENCIA Estat alarma Covid-19: https://meet.google.com/zob-pezk-nsc
  Thesis director: GOMEZ VALENTIN, MANUEL
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: LOPEZ ALONSO, RAUL
       SECRETARI: HURLIMANN ZIEGLER, MARCEL
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: NANIA ESCOBAR, LEONARDO SANTOS
  Thesis abstract: Over the last 40 years, in Europe in general and in many mountainous regions in particular, there have been major instances of severe flood episodes (more than 100) which have resulted in more than 700 deaths and billions of euros in economic losses. At European level, we can point out the floods of the Danube and the Elbe rivers in the summer of 2002. At a more specific level, in mountain areas and therefore on a more regional scale, we can mention the destruction caused by torrential phenomena, such as the floods of Andorra 1982, the tragedy of Camping las Nieves in Biescas in 1998 or the floods of the Garonne River in the summer of 2013.Thanks to this series of episodes and to the growing effects of climate change in mountain regions, both administrations and the general public have become aware of the dangers and risks associated with natural phenomena, and as such, with those related to river and torrential hydraulics. This awareness, combined with the technical advances experienced in recent years in the field of hydraulics, have led to the development of directives, laws and plans for the prevention of natural hazards (floods), which have subsequently had major repercussions in urban planning and therefore at a socioeconomic level.Despite the succession of regulations and directives applied in recent years (both in the state of Andorra and in general in countries with torrential problems), all of them have been mainly of a state nature and oriented to river flood plains; leaving mountain areas with torrential episodes, absent of cartography and associated regulations. The detection, zoning and evaluation of areas prone to triggering torrential phenomena, or current-type phenomena of dragging, are often difficult to predict if there are no evident and detectable geomorphological indications together with fieldwork, historic accounts, ortho photographs or aerial photographs of several years, and especially field data such as: precipitation history, readings of depths and flows, sedimentograms at the bottom of canals, sediment analysis in violent streams, analysis of hydraulic sections at drainage points, analysis of sediments deposited in alluvial fans etc.This lack of information or the limited and poorly structured treatment of the little information that is often available, makes it excessively complicated to know, study, and perform a zoning of such hazards associated with torrential dynamics, on a regional scale (for example of the Principality of Andorra on a scale of 1/5000) without having to develop detailed numerical studies and simulations.In this thesis, all those torrential parameters and indicators have been studied in detail, both at the basin and riverbed level, which may be related to the torrential dynamics, and therefore can give us clues as to the susceptibility of this occurrence of these types of events in certain areas. After analysing and classifying all the parameters potentially indicative of torrential dynamics in the basin and channel, a methodology has been proposed based on the grouping of the parameters treated in large analytical blocks: historical analysis, hydro-meteorological analysis, hydraulic analysis, geological -geotechnical analysis and morphometric analysis. The analysis and study of these large analytical blocks and all the parameters that compose them, have been elaborated with the ultimate goal of carrying out a statistical treatment and obtaining some decision criteria that allow us to create a qualitative zoning on a regional scale, depending on the potential danger of the exposed areas.The result obtained from zoning on a regional scale should also allow us to decide which phenomena have to be analyzed, according to their relevance, and how they are treated later and based on their nature, through fieldwork and numerical modelling.
  

Last update: 19/05/2022 04:45:30.

List of lodged theses

• VALDÉS ALONZO, GABRIEL ROLANDO: Identification of material properties and phase distribution of heterogeneous materials through data-driven computational methods: Towards an enhanced constitutive space
  
  Author: VALDÉS ALONZO, GABRIEL ROLANDO
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Change of supervisor
  Deposit date: 06/05/2022
  Reading date: pending
  Reading time: pending
  Reading place: pending
  Thesis director: GARCIA GONZALEZ, ALBERTO | BINETRUY, CHRISTOPHE | LEYGUE, ADRIEN
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: AMMAR, AMINE
       SECRETARI: ALFARO RUIZ, ICIAR
       VOCAL: REESE, STEFANIE
  Thesis abstract: Identifying the constitutive relations of materials is an essential task to understand their behavior. Classical methods like testing can be effective in understanding these relationships, but introducing models can lead to biased formulations and errors. Furthermore, not all constitutive relations can be determined directly by mathematical expressions or there might be parameters that we cannot obtain easily through common techniques.Data-Driven Identification (DDI), developed by Leygue et al. (2018), is an algorithm in which the constitutive relation of elastic materials is defined by a database of material points that need to be computed based on measured strain fields, applied forces and known geometry of tested samples of the material. The algorithm simultaneously estimates the corresponding values of the stress fields that emerge due to the deformations measured in the samples.In this thesis, we focus on departing from elasticity to cover more complex material behaviors with the DDI algorithm. In a first step, the method is applied to heterogeneous samples, where a post-process is performed with Correspondence Analysis to separate the different phases in a sample and identify their sepa-rated behavior. Then, DDI was also applied to linear viscoelastic materials, where an extended phase-space approach is used to account for the time dependence of the behavior. Finally, different variations of the algorithm are considered by combining DDI with different statistical techniques such as the Principal Component Analysis, in a search for speed and accuracy of the predictions through dimensionality reduction. Parallel to this, the method is tested in heterogeneous composite samples and compared to expected results obtained by classical methods.
  

Last update: 19/05/2022 04:30:24.

List of defended theses by year

• CAVALIERE, FABIOLA: Static and dynamic global stiffness analysis for automotive pre-design
  
  Author: CAVALIERE, FABIOLA
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/674162
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Change of supervisor
  Reading date: 06/04/2022
  Thesis director: DIEZ MEJIA, PEDRO | SEVILLA CÁRDENAS, RUBÉN | ZLOTNIK MARTINEZ, SERGIO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: HUERTA CEREZUELA, ANTONIO
       SECRETARI: CUETO PRENDES, ELIAS
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: CIRAK, FEHMI
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: EICHMÜLLER, GEORG DIETRICH
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: HASSAN, OUBAY
  Thesis abstract: In order to be worldwide competitive, the automotive industry is constantly challenged to produce higher quality vehicles in the shortest time possible and with the minimum costs of production. Most of the problems with new products derive from poor quality design processes, which often leads to undesired issues in a stage where changes are extremely expensive. During the preliminary design phase, designers have to deal with complex parametric problems where material and geometric characteristics of the car components are unknown. Any change in these parameters might significantly affect the global behaviour of the car. A target which is very sensitive to small variations of the parameters is the noise and vibration response of the vehicle (NVH study), which strictly depends on its global static and dynamic stiffness. In order to find the optimal solution, a lot of configurations exploring all the possible parametric combinations need to be tested. The current state of the art in the automotive design context is still based on standard numerical simulations, which are computationally very expensive when applied to this kind of multidimensional problems. As a consequence, a limited number of configurations is usually analysed, leading to suboptimal products. An alternative is represented by reduced order method (ROM) techniques, which are based on the idea that the essential behaviour of complex systems can be accurately described by simplified low-order models. This thesis proposes a novel extension of the proper generalized decomposition (PGD) method to optimize the design process of a car structure with respect to its global static and dynamic stiffness properties. In particular, the PGD method is coupled with the inertia relief (IR) technique and the inverse power method (IPM) to solve, respectively, the parametric static and dynamic stiffness analysis of an unconstrained car structure and extract its noise and vibrations properties. A main advantage is that, unlike many other ROM methods, the proposed approach does not require any pre-processing phase to collect prior knowledge of the solution. Moreover, the PGD solution is computed with only one offline computation and presents an explicit dependency on the introduced design variables. This allows to compute the solutions at a negligible computational cost and therefore opens the door to fast optimisation studies and real-time visualisations of the results in a pre-defined range of parameters.A novel algebraic approach is also proposed which allows to involve both material and complex geometric parameters, such that shape optimisation studies can be performed. In addition, the method is developed in a nonintrusive format, such that an interaction with commercial software is possible, which makes it particularly interesting for industrial applications. Finally, in order to support the designers in the decision-making process, a graphical interface app is developed which allows to visualise in real-time how changes in the design variables affect pre-defined quantities of interest.
  

• DELGADILLO AYALA, RICK MILTON: Development of a machine learning based methodology for bridge health monitoring
  
  Author: DELGADILLO AYALA, RICK MILTON
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/674150
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 23/03/2022
  Thesis director: CASAS RIUS, JUAN RAMON
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: TURMO CODERQUE, JOSE
       SECRETARI: BOROSCHEK KRAUSKOPF, RUBEN LUIS
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: SALINAS BASUALDO, RAFAEL ROLANDO
  Thesis abstract: In recent years the scientific community has been developing new techniques in structural health monitoring (SHM) to identify the damages in civil structures specially in bridges. The bridge health monitoring (BHM) systems serve to reduce overall life-cycle maintenance costs for bridges, as their main objective is to prevent catastrophic failures and damages. In the BHM using dynamic data, there are several problems related to the post-processing of the vibration signals such as: (i) when the modal-based dynamic features like natural frequencies, modes shape and damping are used, they present a limitation in relation to damage location, since they are based on a global response of the structure; (ii) presence of noise in the measurement of vibration responses; (iii) inadequate use of existing algorithms for damage feature extraction because of neglecting the non-linearity and non-stationarity of the recorded signals; (iv) environmental and operational conditions can also generate false damage detections in bridges; (v) the drawbacks of traditional algorithms for processing large amounts of data obtained from the BHM.This thesis proposes new vibration-based parameters and methods with focus on damage detection, localization and quantification, considering a mixed robust methodology that includes signal processing and machine learning methods to solve the identified problems. The increasing volume of bridge monitoring data makes it interesting to study the ability of advanced tools and systems to extract useful information from dynamic and static variables. In the field of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), powerful algorithms have been developed to face problems where the amount of data is much larger (big data). The possibilities of ML techniques (unsupervised algorithms) were analyzed here in bridges taking into account both operational and environmental conditions.A critical literature review was performed and a deep study of the accuracy and performance of a set of algorithms for detecting damage in three real bridges and one numerical model. In the literature review inherent to the vibration-based damage detection, several state-of-the-art methods have been studied that do not consider the nature of the data and the characteristics of the applied excitation (possible non-linearity, non-stationarity, presence or absence of environmental and/or operational effects) and the noise level of the sensors. Besides, most research uses modal-based damage characteristics that have some limitations. A poor data normalization is performed by the majority of methods and both operational and environmental variability is not properly accounted for. Likewise, the huge amount of data recorded requires automatic procedures with proven capacity to reduce the possibility of false alarms. On the other hand, many investigations have limitations since only numerical or laboratory cases are studied. Therefore, a methodology is proposed by the combination of several algorithms to avoid them.The conclusions show a robust methodology based on ML algorithms capable to detect, localize and quantify damage. It allows the engineers to verify bridges and anticipate significant structural damage when occurs. Moreover, the proposed non-modal parameters show their feasibility as damage features using ambient and forced vibrations. Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) in conjunction with Marginal Hilbert Spectrum and Instantaneous Phase Difference shows a great capability to analyze the nonlinear and nonstationary response signals for damage identification under operational conditions. The proposed strategy combines algorithms for signal processing (ICEEMDAN and HHT) and ML (k-means) to conduct damage detection and localization in bridges by using the traffic-induced vibration data in real-time operation.
  

• HASHEMI, MOHAMMAD REZA: Direct Numerical Simulation of Multi-phase Flow in Complex Media
  
  Author: HASHEMI, MOHAMMAD REZA
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/673617
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 22/02/2022
  Thesis director: RYZHAKOV, PAVEL | ROSSI BERNECOLI, RICCARDO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: BUSCAGLIA, GUSTAVO CARLOS
       SECRETARI: CODINA ROVIRA, RAMON
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: SEVENO, DAVID
  Thesis abstract: In numerous applications, two-phase liquid-gas transport at sub-millimeter length scales plays a substantial role in the determination of the behavior of the system at hand. As its main application, the present work focuses on the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Desirable performance and operational life-time of this class of high-throughput energy conversion devices requires an effective water management, which per se relies on proper prediction of the water-air transport mechanisms. Such two-phase flow involves interfacial forces and phenomena, like hysteresis, that are associated with the physicochemical properties the liquid, gas, and if present, the solid substrate. In this context, numerical modeling is a viable means to obtain valuable predictive understanding of the transport mechanisms, specially for cases that experimental analyses are complicated and/or prohibitively expensive.In this work, an efficient finite element/level-set framework is developed for three-dimensional simulation of two-phase flow. In order to achieve a robust solver for practical applications, the physical complexities are consistently included and the involved numerical issues are properly tackled; the pressure discontinuity at the liquid-gas interface is consistently captured by utilizing an enriched finite element space. The method is stabilized within the framework of variational multiscale stabilization technique. A novel treatment is further proposed for the small-cut instability problem. It is shown that the proposed model can provide accurate results minimizing the spurious currents. A robust technique is also developed in order to filter out the possible noises in the level-set field. It is shown that it is a key to prevent irregularities caused by the persistent remnant of the spurious currents. It is shown how the well-established contact-line models can be incorporated into the variational formulation. The importance of the inclusion of the sub-elemental hydrodynamics is also elaborated. The results presented in the present work rely on the combination of the linearized molecular kinetic and the hydrodynamic theories. Recalling the realistic behavior of liquids in contact with solid substrates, the contact--angle hysteresis phenomenon is taken into account by imposing a consistent pinning/unpinning mechanism developed within the framework of the level-set method.Aside from the main developments, a novel technique is also proposed to significantly improve the accuracy and minimize the the loss in the geometrical features of the interface during the level-set convection based on the back and forth error compensation correction (BFECC) algorithm.Within the context of this thesis, the numerical model is validated for various cases of gas bubble in a liquid and liquid droplets in a gas. For the latter scenario, besides free droplets, the accuracy of the proposed numerical method is assessed for capturing the dynamics droplets spreading on solid substrates. The performance of the model is then analyzed for the capturing the configuration of a water droplet on an inclined substrate in the presence the contact--angle hysteresis. The proposed method is finally employed to simulate the dynamics of a water droplet confined in a gas channel and exposed to air-flow.
  

• KHADIVIPANAH, PEIMAN: Modelling thermo-mechanical response of metal canister disposed in engineered barrier systems
  
  Author: KHADIVIPANAH, PEIMAN
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/673618
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 03/02/2022
  Thesis director: OLIVELLA PASTALLE, SEBASTIAN | VAUNAT, JEAN
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: KRISTENSSON, OLA
       SECRETARI: RODRIGUEZ DONO, ALFONSO
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: PINTADO LLURBA, XAVIER CESAR
  Thesis abstract: The main objective of this thesis is to describe and implement a rate-dependent (viscoplastic) constitutive equations for copper based canister using a single internal state variable and use it for modelling disposal schemes subjected to shear conditions. The model of Bodner and Partom (BP) is considered for this purpose (Bodner & Partom, 1975). To evaluate the copper's response to variations in strain rate throughout a temperature range, this model uses viscoplastic constitutive equations based on a single internal state variable that is a function of plastic work. The BP constitutive model has been implemented in CODE_BRIGHT computer code (DIT-UPC, 2021; Olivella et al., 1994; Olivella et al., 1996). The constitutive equation is verified against existing results and its validation is carried out by assessing the capability to reproduce experiments. For verification, the stress-strain response of a bar under uniaxial tensile conditions at a constant velocity was simulated with CODE_BRIGHT and the results compared with the solution obtained from Stealth Finite Difference Code and the semi-analytical solutions. In addition, it is analyzed the reaction of a canister installed inside an engineered barrier which undergoes hydration and swelling until it reaches full saturation prior to shearing. The implemented elasto-viscoplastic model actually represents the behavior of the canister in yielding conditions. Although the canister is very stiff and strong compared to the clay components where it will be emplaced in a clay volume shear deformations occurring on the engineered barrier system (EBS) will have an impact on the canister (Börgesson, 1986). Finally, a repository of nuclear spent fuel is analyzed under extreme conditions as it is a long-life system and has to resist all types of environmental conditions, for instance earthquakes and glaciations. After model implementation and verification in CODE BRIGHT this program has been used to model the canister-clay shear tests in 2D and 3D. In the Mock-up scale and Full-scale in 2D and 3D models, a comparison between the total stress method (mechanical analysis only) and the effective stress method (hydro-mechanical analysis) has been investigated. Experimental results from a canister-clay shear test (Börgesson, 1986) have been compared to the findings of the numerical model using CODE BRIGHT. Sensitivity analysis on viscosity for total stress calculations and permeability for effective stress calculations have been performed in the Mock-up scale and Full-scale. In the canister-clay shear test, a mesh sensitivity analysis and also a comparison between the updated mesh (Lagrangian method) and the fixed mesh method have been carried out.Finally, in two and three dimensions, the simulation of canister-clay shear tests based on impact of discontinuity (the discontinuity is in the rock and due to it, there is shearing in canister-rock system), as well as sensitivity analysis of parameters and mesh in mechanical and a coupled hydro-mechanical analysis, have been investigated.
  

Last update: 19/05/2022 05:01:04.

Research groups

• (MC)2-UPC-Computational continuum mechanics
• ANiComp-Numerical analysis and scientific computation
• ATEM-Structural and Materials Technology
• BIT-Barcelona Innovative Transportation
• CRAHI-Center of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology
• EC-Construction Engineering
• EGEO-Geomatics Engineering
• EnGeoModels-Monitoring and Modelling in Engineering Geology
• EScGD-Engineering Sciences and Global Development
• FLUMEN-River Dynamics and Hydrological Engineering
• GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology
• GHS-Hydrogeology Group
• GIES-Geophysics and Earthquake Engineering
• GMNE-Numerical Methods in Engineering Group
• LACAN - UPC-Numerical Methods for Applied Sciences and Engineering
• LESEC-Laboratori d'Estudis Socials de l'Enginyeria Civil
• LIM/UPC-Maritime Engineering Laboratory
• MATCAR-Construction Materials and Roads
• MECMAT-Mechanics of Materials
• MSR-Soil and Rock Mechanics
• RMEE-Strength of Materials and Structural Engineering Research Group

Teachers

• Aguado de Cea, Antonio
• Alarcon Fernandez, Daniel
• Arias Vicente, Irene
• Arroyo Balaguer, Marino
• Bateman Pinzon, Allen
• Blade Castellet, Ernest
• Casas Rius, Joan Ramon
• Cervera Ruiz, Miguel
• Chiumenti, Michele
• Codina Rovira, Ramon
• Diez Mejia, Pedro
• Espino Infantes, Manolo
• Estrada Romeu, Miquel
• Fernandez Garcia, Daniel
• Garcia Gonzalez, Alberto
• Gens Sole, Antonio
• Gomez Valentin, Manuel
• Grifoll Colls, Manuel
• Jimenez Quintana, Jose Antonio
• Ledesma Villalba, Alberto
• Martin Vide, Juan Pedro
• Molins Borrell, Climent
• Mujica Delgado, Luis Eduardo
• Olivella Pastalle, Sebastià
• Oñate Ibañez de Navarra, Eugenio
• Perez Foguet, Agusti
• Poblet Puig, Jordi
• Prat Catalan, Pere
• Robuste Anton, Robus
• Rodellar Benede, Jose
• Rodriguez Ferran, Antonio
• Rossi, Riccardo
• Sanchez Juny, Marti
• Sanchez Vila, Xavier
• Sanchez-Arcilla Conejo, Agustin
• Sarrate Ramos, Jose
• Sempere Torres, Daniel
• Soriguera Marti, Francesc
• Zlotnik Martinez, Sergio

• Badia, Santiago
• Baiges Aznar, Joan
• Berenguer Ferrer, Marc
• Campos Cacheda, Magin
• Candela Lledo, Lucila
• Carreño Tibaduiza, Martha Liliana
• Dadvand, Pooyan
• de Pouplana Sarda, Ignasi
• Folch Sancho, Albert
• Garcia Espinosa, Julio
• Garcia Gonzalez, Alberto
• Giacomini, Matteo
• Gironella i Cobos, Xavi
• Gomez Soberon, Jose Manuel
• Gracia Garcia, Vicente
• Lantada Zarzosa, Nieves
• Martinez Reguero, Adriana
• Mösso Aranda, Cesar
• Principe Rubio, Ricardo Javier
• Pujadas Alvarez, Pablo
• Romero Morales, Enrique
• Russo, Beniamino
• Saaltink, Maarten W.
• Sauri Marchan, Sergi
• Sierra Pedrico, Juan Pablo
• Soudah Prieto, Eduardo
• Turro Calvet, Mateu
• Ubach de Fuentes, Pere Andreu
• Vaunat, Jean
• Vazquez, Mariano
• Zarate Araiza, Jose Francisco