En el caso del almacenamiento de los residuos radioactivos los flujos osmóticos pueden ser relevantes y requieren un análisis en detalle. El residuo nuclear bituminizado (BW) será almacenado mediante contenedores en cavidades excavadas en la Boom Clay, que es una arcilla marina que presenta propiedades favorables para limitar y retrasar la migración de los contaminantes radioactivos. La interacción entre los dos materiales es un proceso acoplado químico-hidro-mecánico y depende de la respuesta hidromecánica de la Boom Clay y del BW. En condiciones de almacenamiento, el contacto del BW, que contienen cantidades importantes de NaNO3, con el agua subterránea induce la hidratación por gradientes osmóticos y el consiguiente hinchamiento, además de la difusión de la sal disuelta hacia la Boom Clay. Se pueden distinguir dos tipos de afecciones: la perturbación geomecánica causada por el hinchamiento del BW y el aumento de presión en el BW y cambio de las distribución de tensiones en la roca, y la perturbación físico química por la migración de grandes cantidades de sales. El objetivo de esta tesis es: (i) Mejorar la comprensión de los procesos que controlan la absorción de agua y el consecuente hinchamiento del BW que contengan sales (NaNO3), y (ii) Investigar los posibles efectos de la concentración de fluidos de los poros sobre el hinchamiento, la compresibilidad y comportamiento de corte de la Boom Clay. En primer lugar, se ha desarrollado una formulación para el análisis de la deformación inducida por la disolución de sales en medio poroso con contacto con agua. Las ecuaciones planteadas incluyen los flujos acoplados de agua y soluto. Se presenta también un trabajo teórico que ayuda a la comprensión del comportamiento mecánico del BW. Se considera este material como una mezcla de bitumen y cristales de NaNO3. Se ha desarrollado un modelo elasto-viscoplástico que describe el comportamiento de fluencia del BW considerando el comportamiento de fluencia de sus constituyentes. El modelo constitutivo elasto-viscoplástico ha sido implementado en el programa CODE_BRIGHT. Los resultados se han comparado con observaciones experimentales. Se ha estudiado el comportamiento a largo plazo del BW en contacto con agua al simular ensayos de hinchamiento por absorción de agua bajo condiciones confinadas. El análisis numérico ha demostrado ser capaz de proporcionar una representación satisfactoria de los principales patrones observados en su comportamiento. En lo que respecta al segundo objetivo de la tesis, se ha propuesto una formulación para el análisis de las deformaciones inducidas por procesos osmóticos en un medio poroso de doble estructura. Esta formulación distingue dentro del material un nivel micro-estructural y otro macro-estructural con cambios químicos que tienen un efecto significativo en la micro-estructura. Se han obtenido las ecuaciones básicas que describen los flujos acoplados de agua y solutos y el transporte de sus componentes a través de los macroporos así como las ecuaciones de balance de masa para agua y soluto en los macroporos y microporos. La formulación propuesta ha sido aplicada particularmente para analizar cualitativamente el efecto de la succión osmótica sobre el hinchamiento de los suelos arcillosos. Se han analizado los efectos a corto y largo plazo. Se ha investigado también la influencia del aumento de la concentración del fluido en los poros sobre las propiedades geotécnicas y el comportamiento de la Boom Clay no saturada. Se ha llevado a cabo un programa sistemático de investigación experimental, con control de succión osmótica y matricial, con el fin de investigar el efecto del incremento de la concentración del fluido de poros sobre la resistencia de corte y el cambio volumétrico bajo condiciones edométricas. Se ha observado, que bajo condiciones parcialmente saturadas, un cambio en la salinidad provoca una disminución en la compresibilidad y en la resistencia de corte del material. / For deep storage of high-level nuclear waste osmotic flows can be significant and so require a careful analysis. In Belgium, The bituminized nuclear waste (BW) named Eurobitum contained in metallic drums will be placed inside a tunnel or a shaft excavated in the Boom Clay, which is 100 m thick marine clay presenting favourable properties to limit and delay the migration of the leached radionuclides over extended periods of time. In Geological disposal conditions, contact of the bituminized radioactive waste which contains high amounts of highly soluble salt (NaNO3) with groundwater will result in water uptake and swelling of the waste and in subsequent diffusion of the dissolved salt through the host clay formation. Basically, two types of disturbance can be distinguished: A geo-mechanical perturbation, caused by the swelling of the waste and the increase of the pressure in and around the waste and a physico-chemical perturbation by the release of large amounts of NaNO3 and other soluble salts. In this context the aim of this thesis is: (i) to improve the understanding of the processes controlling the water uptake and the subsequent swelling of bituminized waste containing soluble salts (NaNO3), and (ii) to investigate of the possible effects of the increase of pore fluid concentration on swelling, compressibility and shear behaviour of Boom Clay. A formulation has been proposed for the analysis of deformation induced by dissolution of salts in porous media in contact with water. The equations include the effect of coupled transport phenomena and the formulation has been included as an extension in the coupled THM program CODE_BRIGHT. A theoretical and experimental work aiming at understanding the mechanical behaviour of the Bituminized Waste has been presented.This material is considered for this purpose as a mixture of bitumen and crystals of NaNO3. An elasto-viscoplastic model has been developed that describes the creep behaviour of BW considering the constituents' creep behaviour. The elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model has been implemented into CODE_BRIGHT. The modelling results have been compared with the experimental data. The impact of osmotic forces on the swelling of the material has been investigated by simulating water uptake swelling tests under confined conditions and comparing the predictions with experimental results. The numerical analysis has proven to be able to furnish a satisfactory representation of the main observed patterns of the behaviour. In regard to the second objective of this thesis, a formulation has been proposed for the analysis of deformations induced by osmotic processes in double structure porous media. The formulation is based on the distinction within the material of a microstructural and a macrostructural levels with chemical changes having a significant effect on the microstructure. A macroscopic description of the system is provided. Then the basic equations describing coupled flows of water and solutes and the transport of its components through macropores and mass balance equations for water and solute in macro and micro pores have been obtained. The proposed formulation has been particularly applied to analyze qualitatively the effect of osmotic suction on swelling of clayey soils. Transient and long term effects have been analyzed. The influence of pore fluid concentration on the geotechnical properties and behavior of Boom Clay under partially saturated conditions has been investigated. A systematic experimental research program involving osmotic suction and matric suction controlled experiments has been carried to investigate the effect of the increase of pore fluid concentration on shear strength and on the volume change behaviour under odometer stress state conditions. It has been observed that under partially saturated conditions a change in salinity causes a decrease in compressibility and shear strength.

[pt] Nesta tese foi desenvolvida uma metodologia para caracterização tridimensional de espumas de poliuretano (PU) produzidas a partir de polióis de origem vegetal. Espumas obtidas a partir do caule e da folha da bananeira foram analisadas. Foi utilizada a microtomografia computarizada de raios x (μCT) associada a ensaios mecânicos in-situ e processamento e análise digital de imagens (PADI). Utilizou-se uma câmara de ensaios in-situ comercial e também foi desenvolvida uma câmara específica para esta tese. As imagens tridimensionais obtidas foram avaliadas por técnicas tradicionais de ADI e pela técnica de Correlação Volumétrica de Imagens (DVC). A sequência padrão envolveu a redução de ruídos e o método de watersheds para segmentar as células individuais que formam a estrutura das espumas. Assim, foi possível quantificar diferentes parâmetros de tamanho (volume, diâmetro médio) e forma (razão de aspectos, esfericidade) de cada célula em 3D e comparar estatisticamente as amostras. A técnica de DVC permitiu correlacionar sub volumes das espumas em diferentes estágios do processo de compressão, revelando alguns aspectos do mecanismo microscópico de concentração de tensões. Um ensaio de compressão tradicional permitiu escolher as duas amostras com maiores limites de resistência (CB8 e FB6). Estas amostras foram submetidas ao ensaio de compressão in-situ e analisadas para diferentes valores de deformação. A amostra FB6 apresentou cerca de 5 vezes mais células do que a amostra CB8, com diâmetro médio cerca de 2X menor. Considerando os primeiros estágios de deformação (0, 0,5 e 1 mm), que foram idênticos para as duas amostras, o número de células aumentou 5,9 porcento para CB8 e 1,7 porcento para FB6, enquanto o volume médio diminuiu 2,6 porcento e 1,9 porcento, respectivamente. As medidas de forma apontaram para células não equiaxiais (razão de aspectos e esfericidade próximos a 0,4), sem mudanças expressivas ao longo dos ensaios. / [en] In this thesis, a methodology was developed for the three-dimensional characterization of polyurethane (PU) foams produced from polyols of vegetable origin. Foams obtained from the banana stem and leaf were analyzed. X ray microtomography (μCT) associated with in-situ mechanical tests and digital image processing and analysis (PADI) was used. A commercial in situ test chamber was used and a specific chamber was also developed for this thesis. The three-dimensional images obtained were evaluated by traditional ADI techniques and by the Volumetric Image Correlation (CVD) technique. The standard sequence involved noise reduction and the watersheds method to segment the individual cells that make up the foam structure. Thus, it was possible to quantify different parameters of size (volume, average diameter) and shape (aspect ratio, sphericity) of each cell in 3D and to statistically compare the samples. The CVD technique made it possible to correlate subvolumes of the foams at different stages of the compression process, revealing some aspects of the microscopic stress concentration mechanism. A traditional compression test made it possible to choose the two samples with the highest strength limits (CB8 and FB6). These samples were submitted to the compression test in situ and analyzed for different strain values. The FB6 sample had about 5 times more cells than the CB8 sample, with an average diameter about 2X smaller. Considering the first deformation stages (0, 0,5 and 1 mm), which were identical for both samples, the number of cells increased 5,9 percent for CB8 and 1,7 percent for FB6, while the average volume decreased 2,6 percent and 1,9 percent, respectively. The shape measurements pointed to non-equiaxial cells (aspect ratio and sphericity close to 0,4), with no significant changes during the tests.