Access profile

In relation to scientific and technological areas associated with geotechnical engineering, the admission requirements for students can be summed up in three words:
1) knowledge,
2) ability and
3) motivation.

That is:
1) Students should have sufficient educational experience to access the frontier of knowledge in one of the programme’s subject areas.
2) They should be academically mature and have sufficient ability to go further so that they can make a new, original contribution to the state of knowledge or technology in the area of the doctoral thesis. Consequently, they should be able to research, develop and create. They must have the ability to analyse and synthesise, a critical spirit, the capacity to work, and the ability and skills required for team work and oral and written communication. A command of the English language is also essential. It is important to have a good source of funding.
3) Students should be really motivated and ready for a long-term project, they must be ambitious but realistic, with personal maturity and emotional intelligence and a plan for the future that enables them to benefit from the effort and cost that doctoral studies represent.
To date, most of the students on our doctoral programme have had these characteristics. Many of them are now lecturers or researchers in universities, service institutions and research centres in Spain, Latin America and the rest of the world.

The natural route into the doctoral programme is via the master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the UPC. If students have completed this degree, they do not need to take additional master’s degree subjects (bridging courses).

Students who come from other master’s degrees must show that they have basic knowledge of fundamental subjects in the area of geotechnical engineering. If students do not have this knowledge, they must take bridging courses in subjects of the master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the UPC. The academic committee of the doctoral programme will decide which additional subjects each student must take, depending on what they have studied in their master’s degree.

Main entrance qualifications:
Engineers or university graduates, preferably in the areas of civil engineering, geological engineering and architecture. In addition, candidates must have a master’s degree in the area of civil engineering, earth sciences or other related areas. Other curricula and educational backgrounds will be assessed by the programme’s academic committee.

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.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
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, 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;
g) 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.

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

• Olivella Pastalle, Sebastià

• Gili Ripoll, Jose Antonio
• Olivella Pastalle, Sebastià
• Pinyol Puigmarti, Nuria Merce
• Sanchez Vila, Xavier

• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (PROMOTORA)

Building C2 (North Campus)
Tel.: (+34) 934 011 784
E-mail: doctorat.ET.camins@upc.edu

Access profile

In relation to scientific and technological areas associated with geotechnical engineering, the admission requirements for students can be summed up in three words:
1) knowledge,
2) ability and
3) motivation.

That is:
1) Students should have sufficient educational experience to access the frontier of knowledge in one of the programme’s subject areas.
2) They should be academically mature and have sufficient ability to go further so that they can make a new, original contribution to the state of knowledge or technology in the area of the doctoral thesis. Consequently, they should be able to research, develop and create. They must have the ability to analyse and synthesise, a critical spirit, the capacity to work, and the ability and skills required for team work and oral and written communication. A command of the English language is also essential. It is important to have a good source of funding.
3) Students should be really motivated and ready for a long-term project, they must be ambitious but realistic, with personal maturity and emotional intelligence and a plan for the future that enables them to benefit from the effort and cost that doctoral studies represent.
To date, most of the students on our doctoral programme have had these characteristics. Many of them are now lecturers or researchers in universities, service institutions and research centres in Spain, Latin America and the rest of the world.

The natural route into the doctoral programme is via the master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the UPC. If students have completed this degree, they do not need to take additional master’s degree subjects (bridging courses).

Students who come from other master’s degrees must show that they have basic knowledge of fundamental subjects in the area of geotechnical engineering. If students do not have this knowledge, they must take bridging courses in subjects of the master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the UPC. The academic committee of the doctoral programme will decide which additional subjects each student must take, depending on what they have studied in their master’s degree.

Main entrance qualifications:
Engineers or university graduates, preferably in the areas of civil engineering, geological engineering and architecture. In addition, candidates must have a master’s degree in the area of civil engineering, earth sciences or other related areas. Other curricula and educational backgrounds will be assessed by the programme’s academic committee.

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 suitability of an applicant’s background will be assessed according to the following criteria:

a) Whether a student’s academic background (subjects taken) is in line with the disciplines in the programme.

The suitability of a student’s background will be assessed in the following terms:
a1) Suitable academic background.
a2) Suitable academic background with bridging courses.
a3) Unsuitable background.
An evaluation of a1 indicates that the student can enter the programme with no need for bridging courses, and a2 means that the student can enter if they take bridging courses. An evaluation of a3 indicates that the student has not been accepted.

Sections b1, b2 and b3 are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10. To enter the programme, students must have a score that is no less than 6 for any section and an overall score above 7. The overall score will be calculated as a weighted average, in which sections b1 and b2 are worth 35% and section b3 is worth 30%. This overall score can also be used to prioritise applications if there are more applicants than available places.

Training complements

The natural route into the doctoral programme is via the master’s degree in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering at the UPC. Students who enter through this route do not need to take bridging courses.

Students who enter the programme through other master’s degrees must take bridging courses (a maximum of 60 ECTS) in subjects from the master’s degree in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering at the UPC. The academic committee of the doctoral programme will decide which additional subjects each student must take, depending on what they have studied in their master’s degree and the research line they will explore in their thesis. Below is a list of subjects from the master’s degree that is associated with the doctoral programme, by line of research.

For students who will focus on research lines in the area of soil and rock mechanics and nanotechnology of engineering materials, the bridging courses will be selected from the following list of subjects of the master's degree in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering at the UPC (or similar):
• Rock Mechanics
• Underground Excavations
• Water and Heat Flow in Deformable Porous Media
• Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
• Numerical Models in Geotechnical Engineering
• Modern Monitoring Techniques for Ground Movements
• Soil Behaviour and Advanced Modelling
• Constitutive Equations of Materials
• Modelling of Flow and Transport in Porous Media
• Geographic Information Systems
• Geomechanical and Geotechnical Engineering
• Geotechnical Design and Construction
• Geomechanics of Breakage
• Quaternary Geology
• Slope Stability

For students who will focus on research lines in the area of groundwater hydrology, bridging courses will be selected from the following list of subjects of the master’s degree in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering at the UPC (or similar):
• Water resources and Infrastructure
• Soil Mechanics
• Water and Heat Flow in Deformable Porous Media
• Environmental Isotope Techniques in Groundwater Hydrology
• Aquifers Balance and Recharge
• Reactive Transport
• Statistical Methods in Groundwater Hydrology
• Hydrogeochemical Modelling
• Groundwater and Environment
• Geographic Information Systems
• Modelling and Upscaling of Solute Transport in the Subsoil
• Aquifer Mechanics
• Hydrogeology and Public Works
• Variable Density, Multiphase Flow
• Quaternary Geology

Taking subjects from the master’s degree in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering associated with the programme, each of which has specific objectives, methodologies and assessment processes, will prepare students to gain competencies. The link to the programme is: https://camins.upc.edu/ca/estudis/master/met

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

Dates to be set every academic year, between September and October. Extraordinary period in February.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

Dates to be set every academic year, between 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 (compulsory).
- 288 hours.

Activity: Courses and seminars.
- 60 hours.

Activity: Workshops.
- 30 hours.

Activity: Publications.
- 30 hours.

Activity: Mobility.
- 480 hours.

Activity: Training in information skills.
- 1.5 hours.

Activity: Research methodology.
- 12 hours.

Activity: Innovation and creativity.
- 8 hours.

Activity: Language and communication skills.
- 18 hours.

Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
- 4 hours.

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

Last update: 06/10/2022 04:45:23.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 06/10/2022 04:30:28.

List of defended theses by year

• BARRA, ANNA: Advanced exploitation of Sentinel-1 data for supporting landslide risk analysis
  
  Author: BARRA, ANNA
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/674411
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 31/05/2022
  Thesis director: MONSERRAT HERNANDEZ, ORIOL | HERRERA GARCIA, GERARDO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: ZEZERE, JOSÉ LUÍS
       SECRETARI: GUINAU SELLES, MARTA
       VOCAL: ZUCCA, FRANCESCO
  Thesis abstract: Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) are now consolidated tools for ground movement detection and monitoring. Sentinel-1 (S1) is the first satellite providing free data access and ensuring a regular acquisition worldwide, every 6 days, increasing its potential for long-term monitoring applications. Several regional and national ground motion services are already active, providing products based on S1 data. Soon in 2022 the first European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) will be available and freely provide a displacement map over the whole Europe, with annual updates. This implies a strong expansion of availability of PSI-based displacement maps and an easy access for anyone, with an increasing interest among a wider range of users, including public or governmental institutions, academia, industry, and citizens. The analysis and interpretation of this amount of data is difficult and time consuming, mostly for non-expert InSAR users. The objective of this work is developing methodologies to simplify the operational use of PSI displacement maps, generating derived products with a clear message, easy-to-interpret, and fast to read. We propose a method to be applied over regional scale PSI displacement maps, to fast detect the most significant Active Deformation Areas (ADAs). The ADA map is a first product that allows a fast focusing on the active areas, to prioritize further analysis and investigation. Starting from the ADAs, the potential phenomena are attributed to each area through a preliminary interpretation based on auxiliary data, to derive the Geohazard Activity Map. In this work, a methodology to include the ADA information in the Civil Protection Activities is proposed, with the main output called Vulnerable Elements Activity Maps (VEAM). An application of the VEAM is illustrated in the Canary Islands. Furthermore, the ADA map is used in the Valle d'Aosta Region (Northern of Italy) to generate vulnerability and potential loss maps. Finally, a methodology to derive potential damage maps of the exposed buildings, based on the spatial gradients of movement, is proposed, and applied in a coastal area of the Province of Granada (Spain). A pack of software tools has been developed based on the proposed methods to extract ADA and then classify them to generate a Geohazard Activity Map. The set of tools is called ADATools, it is open-access, easy to use and fast, improving the operational exploitation of PSI regional-scale displacement maps. All the methodologies have been developed in the frame of several European projects (Safety, U-Geohaz, MOMIT and RISKCOAST), and are aimed at supporting the multi-scale territorial management and risk analysis activities, with a specific focus on landslides.
  

• COLLICO, STEFANO: Optimazation of marine sediments characterization via statistical analysis
  
  Author: COLLICO, STEFANO
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/674574
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 13/06/2022
  Thesis director: ARROYO ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, MARCOS
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: JIMENEZ RODRIGUEZ, RAFAEL
       SECRETARI: LEDESMA VILLALBA, ALBERTO
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: URGELES ESCLASANS, ROGER
  Thesis abstract: The task of geotechnical site characterization includes defining the layout of ground units and establishing their relevant engineering properties. This is an activity in which uncertainties of different nature (inherent, experimental, of interpretation¿) are always present and in which the amount and characteristics of available data are highly variable. Probabilistic methodologies are applied to assess and manage uncertainties. A Bayesian perspective of probability, that roots probability on belief, is well suited for geotechnical characterization problems, as it has flexibility to handle different kind of uncertainties and highly variable datasets ¿in quality and quantity. This thesis addresses different topics of geotechnical site characterization from a probabilistic perspective, with emphasis on offshore investigation, on the Cone Penetration Test (CPTu) and on Bayesian methodologies.The first topicaddresses soil layer delineation based on CPT(u) data. The starting point is the recognition that layer delineation is problem-oriented and has a strong subjective component. We propose a novel CPTu record analysis methodology which aims to: a) elicit the heuristics that intervene in layer delineation, facilitating communication and coherence in interpretation b) facilitate probabilisticcharacterization of the identified layers c) is simple and intuitive to use. The method is based on sequential distribution fitting in conventionally accepted classification spaces (Soil Behavior Type charts). The proposed technique is applied at different sites, illustrating how it can be related to borehole observations, how it compares with alternative methodologies and how it can beextended to create cross-site profiles. The second topic addresses strain-rate corrections of dynamic CPTu data. Dynamic CPTu impact on the seafloor and are very agile characterization tools. However, they require transformation to equivalent quasi-static results that can be conventionally interpreted. Up to now the necessary corrections are either too vague or require the acquisition of paired dynamic and quasi-static CPTu records (i.e., same location¿s acquisition). A Bayesian methodology is applied to derive strain-rate coefficients in a more general setting, one in which some quasi-static CPTu records are available in the study area, but they need not be paired to any converted dynamic CPTu. Application to a case study offshore Nice shows that the results match those obtained using paired tests. Furthermore, strain rate correction coefficients and transformed quasi-static profiles are expressed in probabilistic terms.The thirdtopic addressed is the optimization of soil unit weight prediction from CPTu readings. A Bayesian Mixture Analysis is applied to a global database to identify hidden soil classes within it. The goal is to improve the accuracy of regressions between geotechnical parameters obtained by exploiting the database. The method is applied to predict soil unit weight from CPTu data, a problem that has intrinsic practical interest but it is also representative of difficulties faced by a larger class of problems in geotechnical regression. Results highlight a decrease of systematic transformation uncertainty and an improve of accuracy of soil unit weight prediction from CPTu at new sites. In a final application we present a probabilistic earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility map of the South-West Iberian margin. A simplified geotechnical pixel-based slope stability model is considered to whole study area within which the key stability model parameters are treated as random variables. Site characterization at the regional scalecombines a global database with available geotechnical data through a Bayesian scheme. Outputs (landslide susceptibility maps)are derived from a reliability-based design procedure (Montecarlo simulations) providing a robust landslide susceptibility prediction at the site according to Receiver Operating Curve
  

• OORTHUIS GÓMEZ, RAÜL: Monitoring and analysis of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions at slope and catchment scale.
  
  Author: OORTHUIS GÓMEZ, RAÜL
  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 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 19/07/2022
  Thesis director: HURLIMANN ZIEGLER, MARCEL | VAUNAT, JEAN
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: GRECO, ROBERTO
       SECRETARI: LEDESMA VILLALBA, ALBERTO
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: YILDIZ, ANIL
  Thesis abstract: Slope mass-wasting (SMW) due to shallow landslides or debris flows is one of the most important erosional processes in many mountainous regions together with surficial erosion by rainfall runoff. These erosive processes cause great socioeconomic and environmental impacts. SMW is affected by soil-vegetation-atmosphere (SVA) interactions and is mainly triggered by climatic actions such as rainfall. SVA interactions involve many factors (e.g. soil type, slope topography, slope hydrological conditions and cover (e.g. bare or vegetated)) that are closely linked to slope thermo-hydro-mechanical response, and hence, to slope stability and erosion. The main aim of this work is to improve the knowledge on SVAinteractions through two monitoring systems at slope and catchment scale.At slope scale, an embankment divided in four partitions with North and South orientations and bare/vegetated slopes in each orientation has been monitored. This work has analyzed four years (2017-2020) of soil hydro-thermal and atmosphericparameters related to SVA interactions. The results show that vegetation increases rainfall infiltration, which suggests a decrease in runoff. In addition, vegetation transpiration increases soil drying rates and states, which favors slope stability.Regarding the thermal response, orientation plays an important role with higher temperatures on the South slopes. However, vegetation diminishes the incidence of solar radiation, which reduces soil heat flux up to 75% on the South-facing slopes,and hence, reduces evaporation and daily temperature fluctuations. Nevertheless, the effect of vegetation transpiration is more important than orientation in developing drier soil conditions. This is clearly observed by comparing the drying rates and hydrologic conditions of the North-vegetated slope, which are higher and dryer, with those of the South-bare slope, which are lower and wetter. The results show that vegetation has effects on the hydrologic and thermal response of slopes that may be positive or negative for SMW.At catchment scale, a monitoring system for torrential flows (debris flows and debris floods) detection and characterization has been maintained and further developed in the Rebaixader catchment (Central Pyrenees). 12 years of rainfall andtorrential flows occurrence (2009-2020) and 8 years of soil hydrological parameters (2013-2020) have been analyzed to characterize both hydrological soil conditions and rainfall characteristics necessary for torrential flows triggering. Most torrential flows are triggered by short duration (<3 hours) and high intensity (4-10 mm in 5 minutes) rainfalls. Furthermore, therainfall intensity for torrential flow initiation must be higher when the soil is dryer, and vice versa. First, rainfall thresholds based on rainfall mean intensity (Imean) and maximum intensity (Imax) are defined by means of Receiver OperatingCharacteristics and Precision-Recall curves. The Imean threshold predicted 2 false negatives and 73 false positives for the 2013-2020 dataset, which includes 15 torrential flow events. This results in a low precision of 15%, since only 13 torrentialflow out of 86 issued alarms are correctly predicted. Contrarily, the best Imax threshold reduced the false positives to 11 andpredicted also 2 false negatives, increasing the precision to 54%. Then, the hydro-meteorological thresholds were defined by combining Imax and volumetric water content. The best hydro-meteorological threshold reduced the false positives to 8 and the false negatives to 1, increasing the precision to 63%. This confirms that soil hydrological conditions play an important rolein torrential flows triggering and may improve early warning predictions.This work significantly contributed to improve our understanding on SVA interactions and its coupling with slope thermohydro-mechanical response, which is strongly related to SMW, by means of in-situ monitoring at slope and catchment scale.
  

• WANG, YUFEI: Numerical Modeling of Geological Carbon Sequestration: Enhanced Dissolution in Randomly Heterogeneous Media
  
  Author: WANG, YUFEI
  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 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 11/07/2022
  Thesis director: FERNANDEZ GARCIA, DANIEL
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: CARRERA RAMIREZ, JESUS
       SECRETARI: SANCHEZ VILA, FRANCISCO JAVIER
       VOCAL: VILARRASA RIAÑO, VÍCTOR
  Thesis abstract: Geological Carbon Sequestration (GCS) plays a major role in mitigating the global warming due to the increasing concentration of CO2 in atmosphere. It is important to understand the GCS process to analyze and predict its influence on the CO2 reservoir site. This work firstly offers three finite difference programs for simulating the GCS process, secondly applies the program to perform quantitative analysis of the GCS, and finally gives several remarks related to the GCS. Firstly, we describe the three finite difference programs, which, to different extents, take into account the role of chemical reaction in the GCS process. The first program is a reactive two-phase flow model that only considers the interplay between brine and gas phases, which can be solved with explicit method. The second program is a simplified reactive three-phase flow model that also considers the heterogeneous reaction between mineral rock and the aqueous species, but all the chemical reactions are treated as equilibrium reactions and expressed with empirical formulas, to avoid performing grid-by-grid calculation of chemical reaction at each time step. The third program is a full reactive three-phase flow model that accounts for partial equilibrium reaction system (i.e., both equilibrium and kinetic reactions are included) as well as the pure equilibrium reaction system. In this third program, the partial equilibrium chemical system is solved with MAL, and chemical reactions and mass transport are alternately solved with Newton-Raphson method. All these programs have been approved through non-ideal benchmark test that only considers the transport issue. Secondly, the first program is employed to perform two qualitative analysis on the dissolution trapping. The first quantitative analysis focuses on the enhanced dissolution efficiency of overlying gaseous CO2 into underlying brine owing to gravity-driven convection (GDC) in the brine phase. The injected light CO2 will override the brine. Studies have shown that the dissolution is not only driven by molecular diffusion, but also enhanced by the GDC in the brine, because the dissolution of CO2 can increase the density of the brine in the upper portion. In literature, the GDC in homogeneous media has been well studied and researchers are attempting to investigate the GDC in realistic heterogeneous media. It is yet to find an efficient formula to predict the dissolution rate in heterogeneous media with anisotropic permeability distribution. This work conducts a large number of numerical simulations in various heterogeneous fields, analyzes the simulation results, and proposes two formulas that efficiently predict the dissolution rate based on geological and fluid parameters. The second quantitative analysis focuses on the enhanced dissolution trapping due to the layered permeability structure during the injection period. Results show that when buoyant forces are important, vertical segregation controls the overall behavior of CO2, diminishing the influence of small-scale heterogeneity on dissolution. However, when buoyant forces are relatively small compared to the degree of heterogeneity, CO2 migrates preferentially through high permeability layers and dissolution efficiency increases with heterogeneity due to the stretching of the CO2 plume that enhances mixing. As a result, in this situation, the upscaling of permeability leads to an underestimation of the dissolution efficiency. Additionally, we give in the appendix a parallel study on how to enhance NAPL removal and mixing with engineering chaotic advection.
  

Last update: 06/10/2022 05:01:04.

Research groups

• GHS-Hydrogeology Group
• MECMAT-Mechanics of Materials
• MSR-Soil and Rock Mechanics

Teachers

• Alonso Perez de Agreda, Eduardo
• Arroyo Alvarez de Toledo, Marcos
• Buill Pozuelo, Felipe
• Carol Vilarasau, Ignacio
• Corominas Dulcet, Jordi
• Fernandez Garcia, Daniel
• Folch Sancho, Albert
• Gens Sole, Antonio
• Gili Ripoll, Jose Antonio
• Hurlimann Ziegler, Marcel
• Josa Garcia-Tornel, Alejandro
• Lantada Zarzosa, Nieves
• Ledesma Villalba, Alberto
• Lloret Morancho, Antonio
• Lopez Garello, Carlos Maria
• Moya Sanchez, Jose
• Nuñez Andres, M. Amparo
• Olivella Pastalle, Sebastià
• Pinyol Puigmarti, Nuria Merce
• Prat Catalan, Pere
• Puig Polo, Càrol
• Romero Morales, Enrique
• Saaltink, Maarten W.
• Sanchez Vila, Xavier
• Sempere Torres, Daniel
• Vaunat, Jean