Ricerc@Sapienza

The paper deals with the numerical modelling of crack formation in segmental tunnel linings. A series of numerical analyses was conducted using the finite difference code FLAC2D. The primary aims of the analyses were to back-analyse the damage pattern observed in a TBM driven hydraulic tunnel excavated in clayey soils and to evaluate the safety level of the excavation assessing the stress and strain state of the lining.

This paper presents the results of a numerical study aiming at simulating the response of an unsaturated fine-grained soil under wetting and gravitational loading processes. This study is based on the results of some centrifuge tests carried out to assess the influence of partial saturation on the laterally loaded pile response. The hydro-mechanical behaviour of the silty soil is described using a constitutive model adapted to unsaturated conditions.

The preparation, initiation, and occurrence dynamics of earthquakes in Italy are governed by several frequently unknown physical mechanisms and parameters. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing new techniques and approaches for earthquake monitoring and hazard assessments. Here, we develop a first-order numerical model simulating quasi-static crustal interseismic loading, coseismic brittle episodic dislocations, and postseismic relaxation for extensional and compressional earthquakes in Italy based on a common framework of lithostatic and tectonic forces.

Microwave thermal ablation (MTA) therapy for cancer treatments relies on the absorption of electromag- netic energy at microwave frequencies to induce a very high and localized temperature increase, which causes an irreversible thermal damage in the target zone. Treatment planning in MTA is based on exper- imental observations of ablation zones in ex vivo tissue, while predicting the treatment outcomes could be greatly improved by reliable numerical models.

This paper describes a numerical approach for the analysis of the seismic ground response and the dynamic soil-structure interaction accounting for the three components of an earthquake motion. The investigation was performed with reference to the case-history of Lotung (Tai-wan), where the seismic response of a nuclear power plant model as well as that of its founda-tion soil were measured during several earthquakes occurred at the site.

This paper deals with a new critical state–based constitutive model for soft rocks and fine‐grained soils.

One of the main hazards in rock tunneling by using the drill and blast method is the damage of the nearby pre-existing underground structures due to ground vibrations generated by the explosion. A simplified empirical approach is commonly adopted for the assessment of blast - induced structural damage, based on the peak particle velocity (PPV) and related empirical threshold values. A more sophisticated approach consists in numerical analysis of rock – sup-port interaction under the dynamic load induced by blasting.