Publications related to Experimental investigation of friction stresses between adjacent panels made of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and between OSB panels and glued laminated timber (GLT) frame members

Water weakening and the compressive brittle strength of carbonates: Influence of fracture toughness and static friction

Marie Estelle Solange Violay, Barnaby Padraig Fryer, Corentin Jean-Marie Rémi Noël

Water is ubiquitous within the pore space of rocks and has been shown to affect their physical and mechanical behaviour. Indeed, water can act on the rock strength via mechanical (i.e., reducing the effective stresses) or chemical effects (e.g., mineral di ...

2024

Micro modeling of irregular stone masonry walls using mathematical programming

Katrin Beyer, Qianqing Wang, Ketson Roberto Maximiano Dos Santos

While understanding the shear strength of stone masonry structures is important for the design and the mainte- nance, we still lack computational tools for predicting the strength as a function of the stone layout. Here we implement an end-to-end image bas ...

Springer2024

A story of two transitions: From adhesive to abrasive wear and from ductile to brittle regime

Jean-François Molinari, Sacha Zenon Wattel

Atomistic simulations performed with a family of model potential with tunable hardness have proven to be a great tool for advancing the understanding of wear processes at the asperity level. They have been instrumental in finding a critical length scale, w ...

2024

Insights from an extensive triaxial testing campaign on a shale for comparative site characterization of a deep geological repository

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Eleonora Crisci

Several boreholes were drilled for site comparison of a deep geological repository (DGR) in Northern Switzerland. The main target of the exploration program was the >100m thick Opalinus Clay, the designated host rock encountered at approximately 450 to 100 ...

Elsevier2024

Numerical Modeling of FRP-Strengthened Masonry Structures Using Equivalent Frame Models

Katrin Beyer, Francesco Vanin, Ivana Bozulic

The present study focuses on enhancing the seismic resistance of existing masonry structures. To that aim, the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening serves to improve structural behaviour by attaching FRP strips to the masonry walls. Despite ...

Springer2024

Influence of model uncertainty and long term deformations in action effects calculation in reinforced concrete structures

Xhemsi Malja

Most codes of practice adopt a semi probabilistic design approach for the dimensioning and assessment of structures. Accordingly, structural safety is ensured by performing limit state verifications using design values determined with adequately calibrated ...

EPFL2024

Proliferation-driven mechanical compression induces signalling centre formation during mammalian organ development

Pengfei Xu, Sangwoo Kim

Localized sources of morphogens, called signalling centres, play a fundamental role in coordinating tissue growth and cell fate specification during organogenesis. However, how these signalling centres are established in tissues during embryonic developmen ...

Nature Portfolio2024

Shear strength and shear stiffness analysis of compacted Wyoming-type bentonite

Alessio Ferrari

Wyoming-type bentonite is one of the materials to be used as part of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) in deep geological disposal facilities for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel.In the KBS-3 type repository, the canisters containing the spent fue ...

ELSEVIER2023

Shearing and opening of a pre-existing discontinuity in response to fluid injection

Brice Tanguy Alphonse Lecampion, Ankit Gupta, Alexis Alejandro Sáez Uribe

We investigate the fluid-driven growth of a shear crack along a frictional discontinuity and its transition to hydraulic fracturing (sometimes referred to as hydraulic jacking) under plane-strain conditions. We focus on the case of a constant friction coef ...

2023

Revisiting the role of friction coefficients in granular collapses: confrontation of 3-D non-smooth simulations with experiments

Gauthier Paul Daniel Marie Rousseau

In this paper, transient granular flows are examined both numerically and experimentally. Simulations are performed using the continuous three-dimensional (3-D) granular model introduced in Daviet & Bertails-Descoubes (ACM Trans. Graph., vol. 35, no. 4, 20 ...

Cambridge University Press2023

Hydro-mechanichal characterisation of bentonite/steel interfaces

Alessio Ferrari, Eleni Stavropoulou, Fabiana Sannasardo

The hydromechanical response of a Wyoming-type bentonite (MX-80) and its interface with steel was studied in terms of shear resistance under different hydration levels. A series of shear tests under constant normal stress were performed in total suction co ...

2023

Incorporation of Lignin in Bio-Based Resins for Potential Application in Fiber-Polymer Composites

Mário Alexandre De Jesus Garrido, Mateus De Assunção Hofmann

Bio-based resins, obtained from renewable raw materials, are a more sustainable alternative to oil-based resins for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The incorporation of lignin in those resins has the potential to enhance their performance. This ...

MDPI2023

Drained Clay-Pipe Interface Resistance at Low Normal Stresses and Elevated Temperatures

Roba Houhou

Offshore pipelines that transport hydrocarbons under high pressure and high temperature are usually thermally insulated to maintain an elevated temperature and prevent any heat loss to the surroundings. However, the temperatures at the outer-wall of the pi ...

AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS2023

Role of Minimum Adhesive Wear Particle Size in Third-Body Layer Properties

Jean-François Molinari, Son-Jonathan Pham-Ba

We employ a novel discrete element method (DEM) force formulation to simulate adhesive wear and assess the effects of material and loading parameters on the properties of the third-body layer (TBL) formed during sliding motion. The study emphasizes the rol ...

2023

On the Post-peak Behaviour of Remoulded and Jointed Clay Samples During Triaxial Compression Tests

Alessio Ferrari

The note presents a selection of the results of a large experimental program conducted with the aim of characterizing the shear strength of Opalinus Clay and Speswhite Kaolin in remoulded and reconstituted conditions, through the execution of unconventiona ...

2023

Effect of Mo addition on the mechanical and tribological properties of magnetron sputtered TiN films

Sami Rtimi

Ternary-based titanium nitride (TiN) thin films have drawn attention toward rational applications due to their wear resistance, high hardness, and corrosion resistance. The influence of Mo content on the structural, tribo-logical, and mechanical properties ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2023

Influence of Viscous Lubricant on Nucleation and Propagation of Frictional Ruptures

Marie Estelle Solange Violay, François Xavier Thibault Passelègue, Federica Paglialunga

Fluids are pervasive in the Earth's crust and saturate fractures and faults. The combination of fluids and gouge layers developing along faults can generate fluids of different viscosities. Such viscous fluids were found to influence the reactivation, fric ...

2023

Multi-scale characterization and modeling of notched strength and translaminar fracture in hybrid thin-ply composites based on different carbon fiber grades

Guillaume Clément Broggi

Owing to their high specific stiffness and strength, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites (CFRP) are ideal candidates for the development of lightweight high-performance structures. Within this family, thin-ply composites allow for wider design freedom and p ...

EPFL2023

Determination of Parameters Characteristic of Dynamic Weakening Mechanisms During Seismic Faulting in Cohesive Rocks

Marie Estelle Solange Violay, Chiara Cornelio, François Xavier Thibault Passelègue

While sliding at seismic slip-rates of ∼1 m/s, natural faults undergo an abrupt decrease of shear stress called dynamic weakening. Asperity-scale processes related to flash heating and weakening and, meso-scale (mm-cm) processes involving shear across the ...

AGU2022

Understanding the mechanisms of adhesive wear for heterogeneous materials through atomistic simulations

Jean-François Molinari, Sacha Zenon Wattel, Antonio Joaquin Garcia Suarez

When two rough surfaces slide against each other, two main behaviors can be observed at the asperity level: A ductile behavior where the asperities tend to smooth out or a brittle behavior where the asperities detach and form debris. Recently, a critical l ...

2022