Coupled processes in geomaterial degradation and instability with special reference to soil-environment interaction

基础设施的安全运行和经济设计，如水坝、高速公路路面和市政公用设施，包括污水和供水管道，对加拿大的经济发展极其重要。由于已观察到的气候变化的影响，应调整传统的岩土工程技术，以适应与环境和气候变化有关的潜在风险（例如，广泛的降水、较温和的冬季和冻融循环次数的增加、北方永久冻土的退化）。例如，由于重复的交通负荷和季节性环境变化（如冻融、干湿），人行道路基土壤的退化每年要花费数百万美元来维持加拿大高速公路的良好状况。

Safe operation and economic design of infrastructure, such as dams, highway pavements, and municipal utilities including sewage and water supply pipelines, are extremely important for Canadian economic development. Owing to observed impact of climate change, the conventional geotechnical engineering technologies should be adapted to accommodate the potential risk associated with environmental and climate change (e.g., extensive precipitation, milder winters and increased number of freeze-thaw cycles, degradation of permafrost in the North). For example, degradation of pavement subgrade soils owing to repetitive traffic loading and seasonal environmental change (e.g., freezing-thawing, drying-wetting) costs millions of dollars every year for maintaining the Canadian highways in good condition. The main purposes of the research proposal are to investigate the impact of environmental change on the deformation and failure of soil and its influence on the function of infrastructures built on the soil. This research consists of both experimental study and computer modelling for the behaviour of soil when it is exposed to freeze-thaw and/or wetting-drying cycles. Computer models and tools will be developed to simulate the variation of performance of geotechnical structures (such as slopes and highway pavements) induced by environmental change, so that the engineers can either adapt their designs to accommodate or mitigate the impact of climate change on these structures. The proposed research is unique in that it accounts for the impact of environmental change on the performance of geotechnical infrastructure. The results will provide effective tools for reliable and economic design of structures as well as rehabilitation and maintenance of existing infrastructure to accommodate varying environmental conditions. The work will involve graduate students who will become highly qualified researchers at the end of the program.