Study Programmes 2015-2016
GCIV2058-1  
Environmental geotechnics
Duration :
20h Th, 10h Pr, 1d FW, 10h Labo., 15h Proj.
Number of credits :
Master in geology and mining engineering (120 ECTS)5
Master in geology and mining engineering (120 ECTS)3
Lecturer :
Frédéric Collin
Language(s) of instruction :
English language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
This course will introduce concepts and notions related to environmental geotechnics. This topic deals with many applications, sharing the same physical phenomena involved (thermal, flow, mechanics ...). The interactions between the phenomena may explain the behaviour of soils and rocks. Therefore, it is really important to understand and master these phenomena. In this course, the interactions between the physical processes will be introduced step by step:
  • Hydromechanical couplings in saturated state: the consolidation theory of Terzaghi
  • Hydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils: slope stability analysis
  • Nuclear wastes management and fundamental principles of a geological storage of nuclear waste disposal
  • Bio-chemo-THM phenomena in geomaterials: long term behaviour of municapl waste (regulation and design of disposal, Elementary design)
In addition to the theoretical lectures, exercises sessions and laboratories will help the students to better understand the theoretical notions and associated concepts.
Learning outcomes of the course :
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
  • To understand geomechanics and coupling with unsaturated underground water flow, thermal, chemical fields.
  • Design and analysis of geotechnical structures for waste storage.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
GCIV0603-1: Géotechnique et Infrastructure MECA0001-1: Mécanique des Matériaux
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
  • The course is composed of "ex-cathedra" lectures (20 hours), exercises (10 hours) and laboratories (10 hours).
  • "Ex-cathedra" lectures deal with the description of the different physical phenomena, as well as thier mathematical formulation. The applications will cover slope stability in unsaturated soils, the confinement of municipal and radioactive wastes.
  • Exercises (with 2 or 3 students per group) are dedicated to the numerical modelling of the different physical phenomena occuring in slope stability problem  and around nuclear waste disposal.
  • Laboratory sessions (with 2 or 3 students per group) allow the students validating a material for its use in a confinement engineered barrier.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Face-to-face
Lesson will be given in English.
Exercises sessions and laboratories will be organized in French.
Recommended or required readings :
Available to students, Acrobat files.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Each lesson and practises are mandatory. Students will be evaluated based on the three written project reports (weight 40%). A oral exam will be organized in January (without access to any course materials) as an oral presentation of the projects, during which the theoretical part of the course will be evaluated as well (weight 60%). In case of second session (Septembre), both the written report and the oral presentation will be evaluated.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
The course will be given on Tuesday afternoon from the 15th septembre 2015.   Each lesson (4 hours) will be divided into two parts: a theoretical lesson (2 hours) and practises (2 hours). A visit of a site related to the course will be organized.
Contacts :
F. Collin Institut de Mécanique et Génie Civil B52 Tél. 04/366 9142 f.collin@ulg.ac.be