Le contrôle de la sûreté des ouvrages hydrauliques est l’une des grandes priorité dans le domaine du génie civil et de l’ingénierie hydraulique. Durant sa vie, un ouvrage est soumis à des sollicitations variables hydromécaniques, physicochimiques et climatiques qui contribuent à son éventuelle détérioration. Parmi les phénomènes qui en résultent, l’érosion des sols sous toutes ses formes représente un enjeu majeur à comprendre, maîtriser et empêcher. L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier l’érosion des sols par le Jet Erosion Test. La première partie est consacrée à la description des dispositifs expérimentaux, surtout le Jet Erosion Test (JET) développé à l’Ecole Centrale Paris permettant de mesurer directement quelques paramètres d’érosion. A partir des résultats du JET, à l’aide d’une loi d’érosion empirique, nous déduisons la contrainte de cisaillement critique, le coefficient d’érosion, la profondeur d’érosion d’équilibre. La deuxième partie du travail est consacrée à l’étude de l’influence des paramètres de compactage sur l’infiltration de l’eau et la résistance du sol, en utilisant le pénétromètre. Dans les troisième et quatrième parties, nous étudions l’influence des propriétés géotechniques du sol et celle des paramètres d’essai sur les paramètres d’érosion du sol. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les paramètres d’érosion sont influencés non seulement par les propriétés géotechniques du sol mais aussi par les paramètres d’essai. La dernière partie présente la synthèse entre les résultats des essais de pénétromètre et ceux des essai de JET, et tente de relier les paramètres d’érosion avec les propriétés géotechniques du sol. / Control of the safety of hydraulic structures is a major priority in the field of civil and hydraulic engineering. During its life, the hydraulic structure is submitted to variable hydromechanical, physicochemical and climatic loads that may contribute to its possible failure. Among the resulting phenomena, soil erosion under all its forms is a major challenge which it is important to understand, control and prevent. The objective of this work is to study soil erosion by the Jet Erosion Test. The first part is devoted to the description of the experimental devices, especially the Jet Erosion Test (JET) developed at the Ecole Centrale Paris to directly measure some erosion parameters. From the results of JET, using an empirical erosion law, we deduce the critical shear stress, the erosion coefficient, the equilibrium scour depth. The second part of this work is devoted to the study of the influence of compaction parameters on water infiltration and soil strength, using the penetrometer. In the third and fourth parts, we study the influence of the geotechnical properties of soil and of the test parameters on the erosion parameters of soil. The obtained results show that the erosion parameters are influenced not only by the geotechnical properties of soil but also by the test parameters. The final section presents a synthesis of the results of penetrometer tests and JET tests, and attempts to link the erosion parameters with the geotechnical properties of soil.

Le BUT de ma thèse est d’étudier les mécanismes fondamentaux du mélange d’une poudre avec un liquide : Au début du mélange, la poudre et le liquide sont versés dans le mélangeur, des agrégats de poudre communément appelés grumeaux se forment. Ensuite chaque agrégat va évoluer par l’action de plusieurs phénomènes : l’imbibition, phénomène spontané qui désigne l’infiltration d’un liquide dans un milieu poreux par capillarité ; et le phénomène forcé de rupture sous contraintes d’écoulement. A l’état final la poudre est dispersée finement et de façon homogène dans le liquide. Ma thèse est alors structurée en deux parties : l’étude de la cinétique d’imbibition d’un agrégat sphérique immergé ; et l’étude de la rupture d’un agrégat sous contrainte extérieure. La REUSSITE de l’étude provient des expériences approfondies: de la création d’un nouveau procédé de fabrication d’un agrégat grâce à l’impression 3D, jusqu’à la détermination de lois empiriques de nouveaux phénomènes mis en évidence. / The GOAL of my PhD is to study the fundamental mechanisms of mixing a powder with a liquid. The mix of focus proceeds as follows:At start, as the powder and the liquid are filled in the mixer, powder aggregates form.Then each powder aggregate evolves under the influence of several phenomena: imbibition, spontaneous phenomenon corresponding to the infiltration of a liquid inside a porous medium by capillarity; and the forced phenomenon of rupture under flow. At last the powder is finely and homogeneously dispersed in the liquid. My PhD is thus organized in two parts: the study of the imbibitions kinetics of a spherical aggregate, and the study of the rupture of an aggregate under flow.The SUCCESS of the study relies on the thorough experiments: from creating a new aggregate manufacturing process using 3D printing, to determining empirical laws corresponding to new phenomena.

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This thesis is concerned with a mathematical study of several problems involving infiltration from irrigation channels into an unsaturated homogeneous soil. All the problems considered are two dimensional and are solved numerically by employing boundary integral equation techniques. In the first chapter I introduce some of the literature and ideas surrounding my thesis. Some background information is stated followed by an outline of the thesis and a list of author’s published works that support the material in the thesis. Full descriptions of the fundamental equations used throughout the thesis are provided in chapter 2. Chapter 3 contains the first problem considered in this thesis which is infiltration from various shapes of single and periodic irrigation channels. Specifically strip, semi-circular, rectangular and v shaped channels. The solutions are obtained using the boundary element technique. The solutions are then compared with the results obtained by Batu [14] for single and periodic strip sources. In chapter 4 a boundary integral equation method is adopted for the solution of flow from single and periodic semi-circular channels into a soil containing impermeable inclusions. The impermeable inclusions considered are of rectangular, circular and square shapes. The aim is to observe how the various shapes of inclusions can affect the direction of the flow particularly in the region adjacent to the zone where plant roots would be located. Chapter 5 solves the problem of infiltration from single and periodic semicircular irrigation channels into a soil containing impermeable layers. A modification is made to the boundary integral equation in order to include the impermeable layers with the integration over the layers involving Hadamard finite-part integrals. The objective of the work is to investigate how the number and the depth of the impermeable layers affects the flow. Chapter 6 employs a particular Green’s function in the boundary integral equation. The Green’s function is useful for flow from a single channel since it removes the need to evaluate the boundary integral along the soil surface outside the irrigation channel. A time dependent infiltration problem is considered in chapter 7. The Laplace transform is applied to the governing equations and the boundary integral equation technique is used to solve the resulting partial differential equation. The Laplace transform is then inverted numerically to obtain the time dependent values of the matric flux potential. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Mathematical Sciences, 2008

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-76). Also available via the Internet.

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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Thesis research directed by: Civil Engineering. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Thèse--Agro-pédologie--Toulouse, 1985. / Bibliogr. p. 123-129.

Low-tech rock structures called gabions are commonly used in dryland stream channels to reduce erosion, slow floodwaters, and increase infiltration. Gabions may also increase water availability for riparian vegetation, and increase the duration of surface flow in ephemeral stream channels. However, their effects on infiltration and recharge are not well-understood. This study tested low-cost methods for easily quantifying the total infiltration induced by gabion construction in an ephemeral stream channel, over the course of a single flow event. We used well-established methods to find point infiltration fluxes from subsurface temperature time-series. Unique to this study, we then upscaled these measurements to the gabion’s entire area of influence using time-lapse photo data, which recorded the onset of flow and the duration of ponding. For a flow lasting ~5 hours, we ran 225 model scenarios, estimating that a single gabion could have increased the total infiltrated volume in the channel reach between it and the next gabion by as much as 255% or as little as 0%, but the most likely scenario is a 10.8% increase. We found the photo data to be invaluable in obtaining these estimates, and in understanding the dynamics of a remote field site. Future work would benefit from more precise measurements of point infiltration fluxes and better records of ponded surface area over time. If these improvements are made and our estimates can be replicated reliably, they would suggest that gabions are a more powerful restoration and management tool than previously understood.

Al-Mg alloys spontaneously infiltrate into porous ceramic preform in a nitrogenous atmosphere above 750 °C with Mg either pre-alloyed or introduced at the interface to initiate the process. The governing process variables are temperature, alloy composition, atmosphere and particle size of the porous preform. The present study investigates the flow kinetics of Al-Mg melts into porous Al2O3 preforms as a function of particle size of the preform from the standpoint of a physical phenomena fluid flow through a non-uniform capillary. Pressureless infiltration involves two major stages: (a) initiation associated with an incubation period and, (b) continuation where the melt infiltrates the preform. Long (~1 hr) and irreproducible incubation periods are typically observed in the Al- Mg/Al2O3 system when the samples are slowly heated in N2 atmosphere. Such lengthy periods prior to infiltration also lead to excessive Mg loss from the system. In order to accurately measure infiltration rates during the continuation stage, the incubation period was minimized by upquenching samples in air under self-sealing conditions. Interrupted experiments reveal that infiltration occurs within 5 mins. Different phenomena are expected to dictate the capillary rise kinetics through the porous ceramic post-incubation (more specifically, retard the melt movement) (a) triple-point ridging of the melt meniscus on the alumina surface (meniscus pinning) (b) interfacial reaction limited wetting and infiltration (c) pore size and distribution of the porous ceramic (d) melt (Al-Mg) / atmosphere (N2) reaction to form products inside the pore space (decrease in permeability) (e) time-dependent loss of Mg from the system (time-dependent contact angle) Some of the above phenomena viz., fluid flow inside the porous medium and chemical reaction of the melt with the reinforcement are invariably coupled in a complex manner. The contribution of each phenomenon to the kinetics of infiltration (a) and (e) was investigated separately. Triple-line ridging Al sessile drops on alumina substrate spread 4-5 orders of magnitude slower than that predicted by hydrodynamic equilibrium. The melt is pinned by ridges leading to spreading rates of 0.4-4 mm/hr in contrast to viscous drag controlled spreading rates of 1-10 mm/sec. In order to detect ridging in the Al-Mg/Al2O3 reactive couple, uniform Al2O3 capillaries were infiltrated. Experiments were conducted under sealed configuration with metal on both sides of the capillary and Mg turnings at the interface. The uniform capillary itself was placed inside an alumina preform and the assembly upquenched to 800-900 °C to minimize evaporative loss of Mg. Examination of the inner walls of the capillary after leaching away the infiltrated metal shows rough, granular features on the polycrystalline Al2O3 surface. No continuous ridges were seen. EDS of the granular phase suggested stoichiometry of spinel, MgAl2O4, formed as a result of the reaction between the melt and the capillary. From interrupted experiments the average infiltration rate inside the uniform capillary was calculated to be in the ballpark range of 2-6 µm/sec (which is a lower limit to the meniscus velocity), an order of magnitude faster than the spreading rates observed during triple-line ridging (0.1 – 1 µm/sec) indicating that the melt front pinning was not the operative mechanism for influencing infiltration kinetics. Pore size distribution of porous medium Additionally, infiltration was found to be faster in uniform channels (fractures in a preform, annular spaces and aligned pores in freeze-cast preforms) compared to the randomly packed bed itself. The effect of pore size on infiltration kinetics was studied by varying the particle size of the packed bed. Experiments were conducted for two systems (a) non-reactive liquid polyethylene glycol PEG 600 (b) reactive Al-Mg melts into packed alumina beds as a function of particle size and temperature. The PEG 600 / Al2O3 ‘model’ system was used to benchmark the effect of pore size and distribution of the particle bed on flow kinetics from a purely physical standpoint. Typically, a Washburn type of ‘parabolic’ kinetics was observed for the non-reactive couple and the ‘effective’ hydrodynamic radius, reff was extracted. (For a uniform capillary, reff and the physical radius of the capillary are the same). Surprisingly, the ‘Washburn’ radius was found to be 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than the average pore size and even smaller than the minimum average pore size of the compact. The ‘Washburn’ radii for infiltration of Al-Mg melts was a further order of magnitude smaller than the corresponding values for infiltration of non-reactive PEG 600 through the same packed beds. Non-uniform capillary model To predict the infiltration kinetics through porous media, a sinusoidal capillary model was developed based on the pore size distribution. The input parameters for the model were the average pore neck size and average pore bulge size, which were extracted from the experimentally measured pore size distribution. The flow was assumed to be quasi-steady state and laminar. Hagen-Poiseuille’s equation was employed to calculate the total pressure drop, which was equated with the instantaneous pressure drop across the meniscus. The meniscus velocity within the non-uniform capillary was solved numerically based on the instantaneous pressure drop. The infiltration profile for the sinusoidal capillary displayed jumps associated rise in the narrow segments of the profile while the rise through the broad segment was considerably slow. The overall infiltration profile could be fitted by a parabolic Washburn-type equation. The ‘effective’ hydrodynamic radius of such a sinusoidal capillary was found to be 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller than the average capillary size and even smaller than the narrowest opening of the sinusoidal capillary. The overall kinetics was limited by flow through the broad segment of the profile where the capillary driving force is the lowest coupled with a large viscous retarding force due to the narrow feeding segment thereby leading to extremely slow flow rates. The calculated ‘effective’ radius of the sinusoidal capillary (reff = 0.03 µm) based on the pore size distribution of the 25-37 µm (1.4-10.8 µm) packed bed was similar to the experimentally observed ‘effective’ radius for flow in the non-reactive couple (reff = 0.06 µm) implying good agreement between experiments and modeling. The model was extended for the case of pressure infiltration of Al melts into SiC & TiC compacts reported in the literature, under conditions where chemical reactions are negligible. A good agreement to within a factor of 4 between the observed kinetics and the ones predicted by the current model is observed. In order to understand the origin of this ‘unphysical’ radius dictating capillary rise, the physics of flow through a stepped capillary was analysed. The kinetics of flow through the wide segment could be expressed by an ‘effective’ drodynamic radius r 4min based on geometrical parameters of the stepped capillary as: reff= r3max (Wetting situation) where rminand rmax are the radii of the narrow and broad segments of the capillary. The ‘effective’ radius from the above equation matched well with the numerically derived ‘effective’ radius for flow through the stepped capillary. A r 2 similar expression for flow under applied pressure was derived as: reff= min rmax (non- wetting situation) which is strictly correct for large values of applied pressure. Chemical reactions influencing infiltration kinetics: Upquenched samples (time-dependent contact angle due to Mg loss) The previous investigation of fluid flow in porous media from a purely physical standpoint reveals the dominant role of the pore size and distribution in the porous medium in controlling infiltration kinetics. This however, is accurate only if chemical factors are minimized. In case of the upquenched experiments for the Al-Mg/Al2O3 system, the ‘effective’ radius was determined to be an order of magnitude smaller than that for the PEG 600/Al2O3 couple implying additional chemical factors influencing flow kinetics in this reactive system. Experiments with Mg turnings mixed with the powder bed shows faster infiltration compared to the ones where the entire Mg was placed at the interface showing that local availability of Mg was responsible for slower infiltration kinetics. Diminishing Mg at the melt front, leads to increase of surface tension and increase in contact angle. This was modeled by incorporating a kinetics (time-dependent) contact angle into the sinusoidal capillary model developed for non-reactive infiltration. The infiltration kinetics was found to be retarded in the case of a kinetic contact angle. Thus, both flow retardation through a packed bed and time-dependent variations of contact angle due to Mg loss from the system are responsible for slow pressureless infiltration kinetics of Al-Mg melts inside Al2O3 preforms. The infiltration kinetics predicted by the sinusoidal capillary model thus defines an upper envelope to the rate of infiltration and subsequent composite formation for such a process governed by fluid flow; all other factors if present in effect, retard the kinetics further. Samples processed in N2 atmosphere (reduced permeability due to AlN formation) The more practical case of composite fabrication (PRIMEXTM process) by pressureless infiltration of Al-Mg melts in a flowing N2 containing atmosphere was also examined. The kinetics of infiltration of Al-Mg melts in a flowing N2-H2 atmosphere (pO2 ~ 10-20atm) for different particle sizes of the packed bed was investigated. A large scatter in the infiltrated heights was observed and the absolute infiltration rates could not be established. Moreover, incubation periods were seen to range from 1-2 hours for different particle sizes. Post-incubation, the infiltration kinetics for a wide range of particle sizes was found to be approximately an order of magnitude slower than that for the upquenched samples. Microstructural investigations of the etched samples revealed significant AlN formation at the start of the composite near the preform/billet interface. This reduced the cross-sectional area available for melt flow and possibly led to long incubation periods encountered in the process. AlN formation was also detected in the matrix on the particle surfaces as well as in the interior of the matrix. This reduced the permeability of the compact and increased the hydrodynamic resistance for flow through the porous compact leading to slower infiltration kinetics. Thus both AlN formation in the matrix and Mg loss from the melt retard capillary flow of the melt through the porous ceramic over and above the intrinsic hydrodynamic resistance for flow through the packed bed. Role of atmosphere on the pressureless infiltration process The role of atmosphere in promoting the pressureless infiltration process was examined by using different processing atmospheres such as vacuum, N2-H2 and Ar and combinations thereof. It is known that the pressureless infiltration of Al melts into porous Al2O3 preforms requires both N2 and a critical level of Mg in the system. Samples heated under vacuum and Ar to 900 °C under open conditions did not infiltrate. Rather these showed discoloration related to the formation of MgAl2O4 on the particle surface due to reduction of Al2O3 by Mg vapour. Moreover, samples heated in Ar upto 500 °C followed by heating up in N2-H2 till 900 °C did not infiltrate indicating irreversible changes. Interestingly enough, if the samples were heated in vacuum upto 700 °C followed by N2-H2 at 900 °C, infiltration was observed. Dewetted regions of the compact were seen too adjacent to the preform-billet interface. This indicated a minimum critical partial pressure of N2, which promotes infiltration. From an analysis of the different interfacial energies and their dependence on atmosphere, it was concluded that either an increase in the solid-vapour interfacial energy (~ 10%) or a decrease in the solid-liquid interfacial energy (~ 10%) would lead to a decrease in the contact angle, θ, by 10°, large enough to ensure wettability and infiltration in certain atmospheres. It was also established that Mg infiltrates into porous Al2O3 both in N2-H2 as well as Ar under sealed conditions. So the presence of a minimum partial pressure of N2 favouring wettability was specific to the Al-Mg/Al2O3 system. (pl see the original document for formulas)