Anna Ramon, a member of Geomechanics group at CIMNE, leads ANHY_RISK since September 2019. The project is about risk prediction and safe design in anhydritic rocks.

Experience gained during the analysis of swelling phenomena which damaged Lilla tunnel and Pont de Candí Bridge in Spain, showed that expansions were a result of gypsum crystal growth (Alonso et al., 2013; Alonso and Ramon, 2013; Ramon et al., 2017). Lilla tunnel and Pont de Candi viaduct are part of the high-speed railway Madrid-Barcelona. Both field cases involved the development of swelling strains in an active expanding layer in anhydritic rock where gypsum crystals precipitated in discontinuities under water saturated conditions.

Experience gained during the analysis of swelling phenomena which damaged Lilla tunnel and Pont de Candí Bridge in Spain, showed that expansions were a result of gypsum crystal growth (Alonso et al., 2013; Alonso and Ramon, 2013; Ramon et al., 2017). Lilla tunnel and Pont de Candi viaduct belong to the high-speed railway Madrid-Barcelona. Both field cases involved the development of swelling strains in an active expanding layer in anhydritic rock where gypsum crystals precipitated in discontinuities under water saturated conditions.

This experience and subsequent developments define the background and the previous knowledge to build up the research project.

ANHY_RISK highlights aspects which are not well-known of the process of crystal growth in anhydritic claystones. Solving this imperfect knowledge is the first objective of the project. The research also includes a laboratory investigation, the development of calculation methods accounting for the mentioned phenomena, being capable of reproducing the hydraulic, the mechanical and chemical processes in a coupled manner, and the proposition of criteria for a minimization of risks.

Funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation as R&D Research Challenge in the 2018 Call, the project, which has a budget of 191.180,00 €, will end in August 2022.

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