Possible PhD fellowship opportunity beginning in October 2008 - Anglet France **(opportunity yet to be confirmed but high probability)

net salary : around 1200 euros
Location : Laboratoire de Sciences Appliquées au
Génie Civil et Côtier– JE2519

Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour - Anglet- FRANCE

PhD supervisors : Dr Stéphane Abadie and Pr Christian LaBorderie

Title: Numerical simulation of tsunami impact on a structure and a group of several structures..

Sponsor: Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment

Context: The December 2004 tsunami dramatically demonstrated the devastating power of tsunamis in terms of death toll and building damages. Long wave effects on structures are highly complex and are still to be investigated. The Laboratory (LASAGEC2) has developed efficient numerical simulations extending from coastal engineering problems to structural engineering. As a logical continuation, we propose here a PhD thesis dealing with fluid(wave)/solid interaction. The objective is mainly to describe the flow around the structure and its effects in terms of structure deformation.

Methods: The study will be based upon the use of a Navier-Stokes/Volume of Fluid (VOF) model (Aquilon developed at Trefle Laboratory). This model has already proved its accuracy on wave breaking (Lubin et al., 2006) and landslide tsunami (Abadie et al., 2008) related former studies. In the model, the obstacle representing the solid structure will be taken into account using the fictitious domain technique. Once the stress field is known, the load will be applied on the structure using the finite element model Cast3M (CEA DASE). Like Aquilon, Cast 3M is a free advanced model based on the latest scientific developments (Matallah et al. 2008 ; Fichant et al., 1999).

Thesis plan: The work could follow these few lines:

1.Tsunami impact on a single structure:
- Identify the processes which occur during the wave impact on a structure (turbulence, compressibility, ...)
- model equations
- model validation on a simple case close to the actual phenomenon
- coupling Aquilon and Cast3D
- find a method to assess the damages on the solid structure and its envelope.
- test different structures
- guidelines

2.During the second half of the thesis, the problem could be considered at a larger spatial scale, The candidate will try to study which effect has the configuration of several buildings forming a block on the flow generated by the tsunami and the building damages. The work would follow the same lines as previously :
- Identify the fundamental processes
- model equations
- model validation
- parametric study based on the test of different building configuration
- guidelines.

This work will be performed in collaboration with : The Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, a classical partner of the laboratory, and whose research deals primarily with construction techniques and materials. One of CSTB's current priority is linked to natural hazards. The thesis work will be more specifically associated with researchers from the CSTB center located in Nice (South-east of France). Professor Grilli from University of Rhode Island (URI/USA) who is an international expert on tsunami hydrodynamics. LASAGEC^2 collaborate with Pr Grilli since 2005 on tsunami related problems. The ocean engineering department at URI owns experimental facilities which could also be useful for the purpose of this work.

Candidate required expertise : fluid mechanics, waves, numerical methods.

Skills : Fortran, Python.

Please send your CV to stephane.abadie@univ-pau.fr