Mission

Researcher - Assistant

Biography

Fadi E. Hachem graduated in 1999 in Civil Engineering from the Lebanese University and holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Water Resources Management and Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). He is currently a Researcher-Assistant in the Laboratory of Hydraulic Constructions (LCH-EPFL). In his eleven years of professional experience, he worked in several projects in the field of Hydraulic Structures (numerical and physical modeling) including water supply and hydropower schemes, flood and debris flow protection, and feasibility studies. He has been involved in executive design and rehabilitation of many projects worldwide. Since 2008, he is preparing a Doctorate of Technical Sciences at EPFL on the subject of Monitoring of steel lined pressure shafts and tunnels considering water hammer wave signal and fluid-structure interaction. He is member of the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut, the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR), the American Society of Civil Engineers (EWRI-ASCE), and the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA).

RESEARCH SUBJECT

Monitoring of steel lined pressure shafts and tunnels considering water hammer wave signal and fluid-structure interaction

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The optimization of design and control of pressurized shafts and tunnels is investigated in this research project with a special focus on the fluid-structure interaction between flow, lining structure, wave propagation and rock embedment. The general objectives are: 1.To establish new design guidelines considering the use of high-strength steel and fracture mechanics 2.To develop a theoretical model describing the coupled behaviour of water-steel-rock system during severe hydraulic transients 3.To optimize relevant monitoring methods to predict maintenance works that minimize the risk of catastrophic failures.