Postdoctoral Research:
Multiscale Computational Modeling of Climate-Adaptive Flood Protection Infrastructure (University of Pittsburgh)
Funding:
National Science Foundation, Grant CMMI-2330068
Summary:
Flooding is among the costliest natural risks worldwide and its impact is further exacerbated by global climate change. Backward erosion piping (BEP) is a leading cause of global flood protection system failures. Despite its significance, BEP remains among the least understood geotechnical phenomena, particularly regarding its fundamental mechanisms. For this reason, current models are largely empirical or semi-empirical, with limited predictive capabilities. This study aims to develop models that are grounded in fundamental granular physics and capable of predict the initiation and temporal progression of BEP.
Objectives:
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Advance the understanding of soil erosion mechanisms during BEP and formulate innovative constitutive models for particle erosion based on such understanding.
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Develop and evaluate numerical models that are capable of accurately predict the initiation and temporal progression of BEP.
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Establish reduced-order models which require less computational cost and is aimed at creating digital twins of flood protection systems.
Key Results:
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The development of a new constitutive relationship to compute time-dependent soil erosion using rate process theory
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Developed and evaluated a novel dual random lattice modeling approach for 3D simulation of BEP progression.
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Proposed and validated a multiscale BEP initiation probabilistic model, predicting BEP initiation risk at multiple scales.
Journal Publications:
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Wang, Z. and Fascetti*, A. (2024). Digital Twin Modeling of Horizontal Civil Infrastructure Systems: A Critical Review Aided by Large Language Models. Advanced Engineering Informatics. (Under Review).
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Wang, Z.*, Oskay, C., and Fascetti, A. (2024). Multiscale Stochastic Modeling of Backward Erosion Piping Initiation. Part I: Analytical Derivations. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics. pp. 1-16. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.3931).
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Wang, Z.*, Oskay, C., and Fascetti, A. (2024). Multiscale Stochastic Modeling of Backward Erosion Piping Initiation. Part II: Model Validation and Applications. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics. pp. 1-15. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.3930).
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Wang, Z.*, Oskay, C., and Fascetti, A. (2024). Three-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of the Temporal Evolution of Backward Erosion Piping. Computers and Geotechnics, 171, pp.106381. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2024.106381).
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Wang, Z.*, Oskay, C., and Fascetti, A. (2024). Backward Erosion Piping in Geotechnical Infrastructure: A Rate Process Perspective. Géotechnique. (Published Online). (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.23.00259).


Above: Three-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of the Temporal Evolution of Backward Erosion Piping

Above: Multiscale Stochastic Modeling of Backward Erosion Piping Initiation
