Gentili Colleghi,

Vi informiamo che, nell’ambito delle attività del Dottorato di Ricerca in Engineering of Structures and Infrastructures dell’Università di Palermo, nel mese di giugno 2025 si terrà il corso dal titolo:
“Quantitative Imaging for Geomechanics”, tenuto dal Prof. Cino Viggiani (University Grenoble Alpes).
La descrizione del corso e il relativo calendario delle lezioni sono riportati qui sotto.

Il corso è rivolto in particolare ai dottorandi ed è aperto a tutti gli interessati.
Per questioni organizzative, si invita chi fosse interessato a partecipare a contattare il Prof. Alessio Ferrari (alessio.ferrari@unipa.it) e il Prof. Maurizio Ziccarelli (maurizio.ziccarelli@unipa.it).

Quantitative Imaging for Geomechanics
Prof. Cino Viggiani, University Grenoble Alpes

This series of lectures will introduce the application of full-field measurements — a rapidly growing area in experimental mechanics — to geomechanics, with a particular focus on the study of strain localization.
While geomechanics pioneered some aspects of full-field measurement techniques over forty years ago, it appears that we have recently lagged behind colleagues in solid mechanics, who apply such methods to relatively “simple” materials like metals and alloys. However, geomaterials — such as sand, clay, sandstone, and granite — are inherently heterogeneous and multi-scale, making them ideal candidates for these advanced measurement approaches.
Through this course, I aim to demonstrate that a broader use of full-field measurements in laboratory geomechanics is not only feasible and exciting, but indeed essential for significantly advancing our understanding of the mechanical behavior of soils and rocks, particularly in the fields of strain localization and fracture.
A selection of case studies from my own research on soils and rocks will be presented to illustrate the variety of available techniques and the type of information they can provide. In particular, I will stress that imaging is not merely a tool to generate attractive visuals, but a fundamental instrument of measurement.
Note that all examples are drawn from my personal experience — not necessarily because they are the most advanced or representative, but because they are the ones I know best. I will also discuss how these types of data, although sometimes considered “exotic,” can inform or inspire modeling efforts.

Course Topics:
– Full-field methods in geomechanics
– X-ray and neutron imaging for geomechanics
– Image analysis (including Digital Image Correlation)
– Application examples in soil and rock mechanics
– 3D experimental micromechanics at the grain scale: what for?

Schedule:
Tuesday, June 17: 10:00 – 12:00
Wednesday, June 18: 11:00 – 13:00
Tuesday, June 24: 14:00 – 16:00
Wednesday, June 25: 10:00 – 12:00