Publications by Hervé Péron | EPFL Graph Search

Desiccation shrinkage of non-clayey soils: multi-physics mechanisms and a microstructural model

Analysis of macroscopic desiccation shrinkage experiments indicates that most, but not all of the shrinkage during drying occurs while soil is still saturated. Shrinkage practically ceases and air starts to penetrate the soil, when the water content is sti ...

Wiley-Blackwell2013

Desiccation shrinkage of non-clayey soils: a numerical study

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

A meso-scale model based on the evolution of the pore system and idealized as bimodal is numerically examined. A simplified evolution of the model reveals a series of characteristics that qualitatively agree with the observed macroscopic experimental findi ...

Wiley-Blackwell2013

Formation of drying crack patterns in soils : a deterministic approach

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

Soils, as well as most of deformable multiphase porous materials, are likely to suffer from desiccation cracking, leading to the formation of regular crack patterns affecting their permeability. The ensuing cracks spacing has often been related to a concep ...

Springer Verlag2013

A multi-scale multi-physics model of soil drying

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

Drying shrinkage is modeled at a microscale as a two-stage process of deformation and evacuation of a two-tube vessel system, based on porosimetry evolution. In the first stage water flow is driven by an external evaporation flux. Flow is associated with a ...

ASCE2011

Benchmark of experimental techniques for measuring and controlling suction

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

The paper presents a benchmarking study carried out within the ‘Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils for Engineering’ (MUSE) network aimed at comparing different techniques for measurement and control of suction. Techniques tested by the eight ‘Mechanics of Unsa ...

2011

Geotechnical analysis of heat exchanger piles

Lyesse Laloui, Christoph Knellwolf, Hervé Péron

There is currently a lack of established calculation method for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles, although the technology is experiencing a fast expansion. Instead of quantifying the effects of temperature changes on the static behavior of h ...

American Society of Civil Engineers2011

A method for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles

Lyesse Laloui, Christoph Knellwolf, Hervé Péron

There is currently a lack of established calculation method for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles. Thermo-mechanical effects are ignored and large overall security factors are therefore applied. This paper presents a new geotechnical numerica ...

ASCE2011

Modelling of drying and cracking initiation in a gallery excavated in shale

Lyesse Laloui, John Eichenberger, Hervé Péron, Simon Salager

Damage induced by desiccation (i.e. drying shrinkage and cracking) is an issue to be investigated in deep geological nuclear waste storage engineering. A dried and cracked zone can form in the underground gallery host shale due to ventilation effects. Incr ...

CRC Press2010

Drying shrinkage and cracking initiation in clays: Main modeling concepts and application to the ventilation of a tunnel

Lyesse Laloui, John Eichenberger, Hervé Péron

Damage induced by desiccation in clays (i.e. drying shrinkage and cracking) is an issue to be investigated in geo-environmental engineering, especially when the clay is used as a confining barrier for industrial and nuclear waste storage. Dramatic increase ...

Taylor & Francis Group2010

Understanding the thermo-mechanical response of heat exchanger piles

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron, Mathieu Nuth

Although the adaptation of deep foundations into heat exchangers is receiving growing attention, geothermal research is focusing mostly on energy optimization aspects. Meanwhile, the primary bearing function of the foundation must remain unaltered. Also, p ...

International Centre for Computational Engineering2009

Desiccation cracking of soils

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

The scope of this paper is to present the global mechanisms of soil desiccation, including drying shrinkage and cracking. The paper first reviews the basic processes that are beneath the word “desiccation”. Then the results of an experimental study of desi ...

2009

Fundamentals of desiccation cracking of fine-grained soils: experimental characterisation and mechanisms identification

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive experimental study of the desiccation of fine-grained soils. Air-drying of initially saturated soil slabs in controlled conditions is investigated, by performing three kinds of tests: free desiccation test ...

2009

Discrete element modelling of drying shrinkage and cracking of soils

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

This paper is aimed at showing the efficiency of discrete element modelling for the prediction and understanding of drying shrinkage and associated cracking. The discrete element approach used is presented first. Cohesive forces between grains, as well as ...

2009

After 10’000 years of movements, is the La Frasse landslide stabilized? Numerical modeling of the crises of a large landslide and of its mitigation measures

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron, Jacques Planchat

Using advanced hydro-geological and geo-mechanical finite element simulations, it has been possible to model the behavior of a large slope movement, namely the La Frasse landslide in Switzerland. The slide experiences a permanent movement of about 10 to 15 ...

CIMNE2009

Prediction of the spacing and patterns of drying cracks in soils

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

Desiccation cracking of soils is of great importance to geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering as it affects the soil physical integrity. Yet the mechanisms of drying cracking in soils, and the ways to control or avoid it, are still elusive. This pa ...

International Centre for Computational Engineering2009

A thermo-hydro-mechanical stress-strain framework for modeling the performance of clay barriers in deep geological repositories for radioactive waste

Lyesse Laloui, Azad Koliji, Hervé Péron, Bertrand François, Mathieu Nuth

Assessing the performance of deep geological repositories for heat-generating radioactive waste requires reliable predictions of the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of the clay barriers (the buffer material as well as the host rock/clay). This repr ...

CRC Press2008

Desiccation cracking of soils: modeling of stress generation and crack propagation

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

This paper is an experimental and numerical investigation of desiccation and the associated cracking. First an elastic formulation of the hydro-mechanical problem is presented, based on an analogy that can be drawn with thermo-elasticity. Then, the results ...

2008

Numerical modelling of desiccation cracking of soils

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

In this paper, desiccation and the associated cracking are numerically and experimentally investigated. First an elastic formulation of the hydro-mechanical problem is presented. The results of desiccation cracking tests are given. The validity of the mode ...

Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées2008

Desiccation cracking of soils

Hervé Péron

Desiccation cracking of soils is of great importance in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. In many circumstances it is the cause of damages in earthen and soil supported structures. Desiccation cracking affects clayey soil barriers for waste st ...

EPFL2008

Desiccation shrinkage of unconstrained soil in the saturated phase

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

CRC Press2008