The objectives of this postdoctoral research are twofold:
1) To improve understanding of pore pressure variations induced by pressurised TBMs and their
impact on design methods, through analysis of experimental data from various construction sites
(Grand Paris Express, Toulouse metro, etc.), and coupled hydromechanical numerical simulations to
evaluate the limits of ‘classical’ drained calculations.
2) To develop a physics-informed machine learning surrogate model to predict pile displacements
during TBM excavation. The model will be trained using data from numerical simulations based on the
previously described 3D model. It is intended to support decision-making in the preliminary design stage
by offering fast computations suitable for sensitivity analyses.
To postulate, please send your cover letter and CV to the supervisors indicated below.
Denis BRANQUE – Senior Researcher – University of Lyon, ENTPE, LTDS – UMR CNRS 5513,
Vaulx-en-Velin, France – denis.branque@entpe.fr
Nicolas BERTHOZ – Head of the geotechnical division – French Centre for Tunnel Studies, Bron,
France – Nicolas.berthoz@developpement-durable.gouv.fr
Antoine RALLU – Researcher- ENTPE, LTDS – UMR CNRS 5513, antoine.rallu@entpe.fr
About the Author
