Une connaissance plus approfondie du comportement des roches argileuses, et plus particulièrement de leur tenue, s'avère aujourd'hui indispensable dans le cadre de plusieurs thèmes de recherche d'importance croissante : comme couverture des réservoirs pétroliers pour la production d’hydrocarbures et la séquestration de CO2, ou en tant que roche hôte pour le stockage des déchets nucléaires en couches géologiques profondes. Ces roches sont particulièrement difficiles à caractériser expérimentalement du fait de leur très faible perméabilité et de leur sensibilité à l'eau. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'améliorer la compréhension des couplages hydromécaniques intervenant dans ces matériaux. Tout d’abord, une contribution à la caractérisation de l’évolution de la structure des roches argileuses soumises à un chargement mécanique est apportée. A cet effet, un essai de compression uniaxiale sur l’argilite de Tournemire associant des observations au MEB et une méthode de corrélation d’images numériques est proposé. Par la suite, des simulations numériques des essais œdométriques ont été réalisées pour appréhender l'influence des propriétés poromécaniques, en particulier de la faible perméabilité sur le comportement de l'échantillon. L’étude des équations de diffusion et les simulations numériques effectuées nous permettent de proposer une méthode de détermination de la perméabilité intrinsèque de ces matériaux. Dans la dernière partie, une étude du comportement d’une roche couverture d’un réservoir pétrolier à grande échelle est réalisée sur un cas synthétique 3D. L’objectif de ce chapitre est d’étudier les variations du champ de contrainte au sein de la couverture au cours de la production du réservoir / Knowledge of shale poromechanical behavior is essential for various environmental issues such as CO2 deep geological storage, high level radioactive waste storage, oil field abandonment… Furthermore, due to their good confinement properties, there are considered as potential host rocks for high level radioactive waste storage. However, their experimental characterization is very complex because of their very low permeability and their saturating fluid sensitivity. The main objective of this study is to improve knowledge of hydromechanical coupling of such a material. To study the structure of argillites under stress, SEM in-situ uniaxial compression test is performed on parallelepiped sample; compression orientation is perpendicular to bedding planes direction. Correlation techniques are used to estimate strain distributions. Second part underlines the key points of shale experimental characterization using the framework of Biot’s mechanics of fluid saturated porous solids. Shales are well known as a more or less transverse isotropy material. The complete methodology to conduct œdometric tests on such sensitive and weakly permeable material is described. Measurements realized on Tournemire argillite are proposed and a comparison with the poroelastic parameters of Meuse / Haute-Marne is given. Furthermore, to investigate hydromechanical coupling, a transverse isotropic poroelastic model is used to estimate the influence of anisotropy on diffusion characteristic time. The experimental data are used in numerical simulations to estimate the intrinsic permeability of the samples. In the last part, the caprock behavior of a petroleum field is studied at large scale with a 3D synthetic model (finite element analysis). The purpose of this last chapter is to study changes in stress field during the oil production

Sedimentary rocks are characterized with very low permeability (in the order of 10-22 m2), low diffusivity, a possible self-healing of fractures, and a good capacity to retard radionuclide transport. In recent years, sedimentary rocks are investigated by many research groups for their suitability for the disposal of radioactive waste. Development of deep geologic repositories (DGRs) for the storage of radioactive waste within these formations causes progressive modification to the state of stress, to the groundwater regime, and to the chemistry of the rock mass. Thermal effects due to the ongoing nuclear activity can cause additional disturbances to the system. All these changes in the system are coupled and time-dependent processes. These coupled processes can result in the development of an excavation damaged zone (EDZ) around excavations. More permeable than the undisturbed rock, the EDZ is likely to be a preferential pathway for water and gas flow. Consequently, the EDZ could be a potential exit pathway for the radioactive waste to biosphere. An investigation of the Hydraulic-Mechanical (HM) and Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) behaviour of sedimentary rock formations is essential for the development of DGRs within such formations. This research work consists of (1) an experimental investigation of the mechanical behaviour of the anisotropic Tournemire argillite, (2) modeling of the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite, and (3) numerical simulations of the mechanical and hydromechanical behavior of two host sedimentary rocks, the Tournemire argillite and Cobourg limestone, for deep geological repository for nuclear wastes. The experimental program includes the measurements of the physical properties of the Tournemire argillite and its mechanical response to loading during uniaxial compression tests, triaxial compression tests with different confining pressures, unconfined and confined cyclic compression tests, Brazilian tests, and creep tests. Also, acoustic emission events are recorded to detect the initiation and propagation of microcracks within the rock during the uniaxial testing. The approach for modeling the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite consists of four components: elastic properties of the argillite, a damage model, the proposed concept of mobilized strength parameters, and the classical theory of elastoplasticity. The combination of the four components results in an elastoplastic-damage model for describing the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite. The capabilities of the model are evaluated by simulating laboratory experiments. Numerical simulations consist of: (1) a numerical simulation of a mine-by-test experiment at the Tournemire site (France), and (2) numerical simulations of the mechanical and hydromechanical behaviour of the Cobourg limestone within the EDZ (Canada). The parameters influencing the initiation and evolution of EDZ over time in sedimentary rocks are discussed.

Sedimentary rocks are characterized with very low permeability (in the order of 10-22 m2), low diffusivity, a possible self-healing of fractures, and a good capacity to retard radionuclide transport. In recent years, sedimentary rocks are investigated by many research groups for their suitability for the disposal of radioactive waste. Development of deep geologic repositories (DGRs) for the storage of radioactive waste within these formations causes progressive modification to the state of stress, to the groundwater regime, and to the chemistry of the rock mass. Thermal effects due to the ongoing nuclear activity can cause additional disturbances to the system. All these changes in the system are coupled and time-dependent processes. These coupled processes can result in the development of an excavation damaged zone (EDZ) around excavations. More permeable than the undisturbed rock, the EDZ is likely to be a preferential pathway for water and gas flow. Consequently, the EDZ could be a potential exit pathway for the radioactive waste to biosphere. An investigation of the Hydraulic-Mechanical (HM) and Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) behaviour of sedimentary rock formations is essential for the development of DGRs within such formations. This research work consists of (1) an experimental investigation of the mechanical behaviour of the anisotropic Tournemire argillite, (2) modeling of the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite, and (3) numerical simulations of the mechanical and hydromechanical behavior of two host sedimentary rocks, the Tournemire argillite and Cobourg limestone, for deep geological repository for nuclear wastes. The experimental program includes the measurements of the physical properties of the Tournemire argillite and its mechanical response to loading during uniaxial compression tests, triaxial compression tests with different confining pressures, unconfined and confined cyclic compression tests, Brazilian tests, and creep tests. Also, acoustic emission events are recorded to detect the initiation and propagation of microcracks within the rock during the uniaxial testing. The approach for modeling the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite consists of four components: elastic properties of the argillite, a damage model, the proposed concept of mobilized strength parameters, and the classical theory of elastoplasticity. The combination of the four components results in an elastoplastic-damage model for describing the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite. The capabilities of the model are evaluated by simulating laboratory experiments. Numerical simulations consist of: (1) a numerical simulation of a mine-by-test experiment at the Tournemire site (France), and (2) numerical simulations of the mechanical and hydromechanical behaviour of the Cobourg limestone within the EDZ (Canada). The parameters influencing the initiation and evolution of EDZ over time in sedimentary rocks are discussed.