Multi-phasic Approaches for Modelling Multi-Physics Processes in Complex Rocks

Professor APS Selvadurai

Geomaterials are heterogeneous at any scale. The selection of a representative volume element for characterization of geotechnical properties is guided by the scale the heterogeneity and presents a challenge for the modeller and experimenter alike. Materials such as conglomerates and argillaceous rocks can present situations where both sample recovery and laboratory testing will involve non-routine geotechnical endeavours. The representative sample size can also be influenced by the geotechnical parameter being investigated. The situation will also be compounded when multi-physics processes such as Thermal (T), Hydraulic (H) and Mechanical (M) processes are involved in the particular geomechanics problem. This lecture will focus on the estimation of the THM properties of an argillaceous limestone that is targeted for the creation of a deep ground repository for storing low to intermediate level nuclear waste. The lecture will focus on the estimation of important multi-physics parameters such as the Biot Coefficient, the permeability and the thermal conductivity of the rock by applying both experimental and theoretical concepts developed in solid mechanics (e.g. the Voigt-Reuss-Hill and Hashin-Shtrikman models for multi-phasic materials.)

About the speaker

Professor APS Selvadurai William Scott Professor and Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics at McGill University

APS Selvadurai is William Scott Professor and Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics at McGill University. He received his PhD and DSc degrees in Theoretical Mechanics from the University of Nottingham, UK. He specializes in mathematical, computational and experimental modelling of multi-physics problems relevant to environmental geomechanics and the geosciences. He has received many awards for his research accomplishments including the Killam Research Fellowship, The Killam Prize in Engineering, the Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, The Max Planck Research Prize, the M.A. Biot Medal of the ASCE, the Eric Reissner Medal of the ICCES, the C.S. Desai Medal of the IACMAG and the H. Leipholz Medal of the CSCE. He has authored several textbooks in geomechanics and applied mathematics and a number of journal articles devoted to geomechanics, mathematical modelling and experimental geomechanics. He continues to teach and supervise students at the doctoral and masters level. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (UK), the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, The Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

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