Research orientation 2: Developing economical materials and structures made of non-renewable resources

Scientific framework


The programme corresponding to this research topic reflects the impetus on the part of LCPC to become actively involved in the field of sustainable development as applied to materials and structures, assessed from the perspective of both their design and evolution over time. It meets society's expectation to "produce design and facilities in an objective of sustainable development" and to "lay out European transport infrastructure networks that are reliable, durable and of the latest technology".


Research projects

Specific research projects conducted in association with this topic:

• Removable urban pavements
  (Contact: François de LARRARD - 11L041)
  
  The concept of removable urban pavements consists of scheduling a maximum number of technical operations prior to the actual road-building phase, on prefabricated, self-supporting elements (i.e. providing for structural as well as wearing course functions) and on larger-sized elements (over 1 meter), so as to target a very fast, heavily-mechanised and reversible implementation of a "high-performance" pavement.
  
  
• Roads of the future (NR2C - New Road Construction Concept)
  (Contact: Brigitte MAHUT - 11L042)
  
  This operation has been geared to:
  • establish a long-term vision of road infrastructure; and
  • study or envisage specific innovations within the three fields of urban roads, interurban roads and civil engineering structures, in the aim of detailing those solutions, from an initial set of potential ones, that upon analysis demonstrate the most promise.
  This research has been coordinated with various projects at the international scale (the OECD-sponsored "Long Life Pavement" project), European scale (NR2C - New Road Construction Concept), and national scale (a portion of the MIKTI programme), in conjunction with efforts on more specifically-defined subjects, combined herein under the label "New Road Techniques" (NRT).
  
  
• Foundations and soil-structure interactions
  (Contact : Yves CANEPA [Laboratoire régional des Ponts et Chaussées de l'Est parisien] - 11L023)
  
  The aim of this research is to validate current design rules and to propose new design rules for depth foundations structures whose behaviour entails complex soil-foundations interaction. The resarch includes large scale loading-tests on piles (partnership with major project design teams and foundations contractors) and numerical modelling calculations.
  
  
• Rationalising earthworks for economical and sustainable structures
  (Contact: Valéry FERBER et Alain QUIBEL (LR Rouen]- 11L061)
  
  Societal considerations:
  • Maximising the reuse possibilities for site-generated materials (in an aim of achieving zero borrowing / zero waste)
  • Reducing the cost of earthworks structures
  • Improving the durability of embankments
  The proposed research strategy has been built around three themes (Soil treatment; Embankments and compacted materials; and Processes designed for future project sites) and comprises four approaches (Experimental studies; Modelling; Full-scale structures and worksites; Application of geophysical methods).
  
  
• Performance-based and probabilistic approach to the life cycle of reinforced concrete structures
  (Contact : Véronique BAROGHEL-BOUNY - 11N061)
  
  The corrosion of rebar constitutes one of the primary causes of deterioration in reinforced concrete structures. Restraining ageing on existing reinforced concrete structures represents a major economic stake; the application of models, methods and tools for evaluating the ageing of such structures serves to make more apt decisions for an effective management of built facilities.
  
  In order to succeed in this endeavour, it is necessary to proceed by studying not only the propagation of aggressive agents (i.e. incubation phase), but also the onset of corrosion propagation. In addition, a better understanding is required of the impact of corrosion on the behaviour of steels as well as on concrete cracking, so as to refine an assessment of the reliability of elements within degraded concrete structures.
  
  
• Environmental concretes
  (Contact: Laetitia D'ALOIA SCHWARTZENTRUBER - 11L062)
  
  The primary objective behind this project is to stimulate and accompany the development of a new set of environmentally-friendly concretes. The proposed research project presumes both the integration of political and regulatory contextual changes and the analysis of material design issues pertinent to the structure, which has been positioned within its environment, from a sustainable development perspective. This project has been built around three subject areas:
  • Deriving and/or enhancing the set of tools for evaluating the environmental impact of structures;
  • Contributing to the technical development of alternative solutions;
  • Producing environmental evaluation and technical characterisation methodologies adapted to a given type of solution.
  The third topic will serve to draw up recommendations that enable promoting the choice, application and effective utilisation of "environmental concretes".
  
  
• Optimisation of road materials incorporating recycled components
  (Contact : Chantal de LA ROCHE - 11L063)
  
  The fundamental objective of this research is to assess and develop methodologies for optimising the use of road materials that incorporate recycled products from a mechanical, environmental and economic point of view within a sustainable development context. The aim here is to be able to affirm the slogan in the future: "The road is our natural deposit", which suggests heading towards optimal recycling; this programme is also intent on researching indicators of road material recycling potential.
  
  This operation comprises three subject areas:
  • recycling with cold-applied bituminous binders (state of the art, in situ functional behaviour, mix design method);
  • potential for recycling material constituents;
  • optimisation of the mixes (untreated materials, materials treated using hydraulic binders, materials treated using hot-applied bituminous binders).