GEOCLIMAT– GEOtechnical CoLlaboratIons, Modelling and Advanced Testing to face climate change

GEOCLIMAT

What did this initiative focus on?

This initiative aims at the exchange of advanced knowledge on experimental geotechnical testing and physical modeling between Portuguese and Norwegian partners to enhance engineering design and increase the resilience of critical infrastructure against adverse conditions induced by climate change. The digital and energy transition requires more reliable and sustainable solutions for managing waste as byproducts of construction and mining operations, such as tailings storage facilities. Additionally, facilities for renewable energy production (such as wind farms) are highly sought after and often constructed offshore in complex geotechnical scenarios. Extreme weather phenomena induce geological risks, such as storms, floods, and landslides, posing additional challenges to the design and risk control of these geotechnical infrastructures, as any structural failure would have catastrophic economic and environmental consequences.

The main objective is the exchange of scientific and technical knowledge on experimental methodologies for the characterization of sensitive geomaterials. This work will involve advanced geotechnical tests (including field and laboratory tests) for the calibration of constitutive parameters and physical modeling using centrifuge tests to study associated geotechnical structures, aiming to optimize their design when subjected to climatic geo-hazards. Another goal is to transfer the knowledge generated in this project to master's and doctoral students in geotechnical postgraduate programs (FEUP and OsloMet). This focus on sensitive soils is innovative, as existing approaches were developed for clean sands and clays. It is hoped that this initiative can strengthen research links between Portuguese and Norwegian institutions (FEUP, NGI, and OsloMet), promoting future research projects and educational activities. This is also a way to disseminate the results of ongoing projects among these institutions.