Calvetti Francesco

Francesco Calvetti is Full Professor of Geotecnica (Soil and Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) since 2021. He is currently teaching Geotecnica (Soil mechanics), Soil-Structure Interaction, and Advanced Soil and Rock Mechanics. He is a member of TC 103 and 105 (Numerical Methods in Geomechanics and Geo-Mechanics from Micro to Macro) of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. He is currently the scientific coordinator of two Interreg Italia-Svizzera 2021-2027 projects. His research focuses on design of protection structures for landslides, application of discrete numerical methods to Geotechnical and Rock Engineering problems, modelling of soil-structure interaction, micromechanical study of the mechanical behaviour of granular materials, global warming, permafrost degradation and rock slope stability. He is the author of one book and about 50 Scopus-ranked scientific papers.

Career

MSc in Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Thesis: Modellazione numerica di mezzi granulari: approccio micromeccanico (December 1992).PhD in Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (consortium with Università di Genova, Politecnico di Milano, Università di Padova). Tesi: Micromeccanica dei materiali granulari: modellazione discreta del comportamento meccanico (April 1998).

Research

Landslide and rockfall protection design:

• Experimental study and numerical simulation of the impact of rock blocks on shock-absorbing soil layers and rockfall tunnels; evaluation of impact force and design actions for rockfall tunnels.
• Evaluation of impact force and impulse exerted by flow landslides on barriers and fixed obstacles; definition of design actions for protection structures.

Rock and soil mechanics; high altitudes, effects of global warming:

• Modelling of: rock masses and rock wall stability studies; mechanical behaviour of ice and soils with high ice content; shear behaviour of rock joints filled with ice.
• Modelling of permafrost degradation

Study of the mechanical behavior of soils and rocks:

• Micromechanics of granular materials: experimental study of induced anisotropy; relationship between stresses and contact forces, Distinct Element Method (DEM) and homogenization approach.
• Incremental behavior and non-reversibility; constitutive modelling; cyclic behavior and accumulation of plastic strains; crushing effect; deferred deformations over time, pseudo-viscous behavior.
• Experimental investigation of fracture propagation in construction rocks.

Distinct Element Analysis (DEM):

• Guidelines for defining DEM models and calibrating micromechanical parameters for modeling the behavior of granular soils, 2D analog materials, and geotechnical engineering problems.
• Modeling of: particle crushing; capillary forces in partially saturated soils; soft rocks, cemented soils; weathering; landslide-buried pipeline interaction; slope foundations; CPT tests; landslide trigger conditions: seismic action, weathering of soft rocks; propagation of debris flows and rock avalanches, interaction with defense structures; stability of stone arches.

Selected Publications

Wang, G., Calvetti, F. (2022). 3D DEM investigation of the resistance of ice and frozen granular soils, European Journal of Environmental and CivilEngineering, 26(16), pp. 8242-8262, DOI: 10.1080/19648189.2021.2021997

Redaelli, I., di Prisco, C., Calvetti, F. (2021). Dry granular masses impacting on rigid obstacles: numerical analysis and theoretical modelling. Acta Geotechnica, 16, pp. 3923–3946. DOI: 10.1007/s11440-021-01337-z

Calvetti, F., Frenez, T., Vecchiotti, M., Piffer, G., Mair, V., Mosna, D. (2019). DEM Simulation of the Evolution of an Unstable Rock Face: A Modelling Procedure for Back Analysis of Rockslides. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 52 (1), pp. 149-161. DOI: 10.1007/s00603-018-1576-0

Calvetti, F., di Prisco, C.G., Vairaktaris, E. (2017). DEM assessment of impact forces of dry granular masses on rigid barriers. Acta Geotechnica, 12 (1), pp. 129-144. DOI: 10.1007/s11440-016-0434-z

Ciantia, M.O., Arroyo, M., Calvetti, F., Gens, A. (2015). An approach to enhance efficiency of dem modelling of soils with crushable grains. Géotechnique, 65 (2), pp. 91-110. DOI: 10.1680/geot.13.P.218

Calvetti, F., di Prisco, C. (2012). Rockfall impacts on sheltering tunnels: Real-scale experiments. Géotechnique, 62 (10), pp. 865-876. DOI: 10.1680/geot.9.P.036

Gabrieli, F., Lambert, P., Cola, S., Calvetti, F. (2012). Micromechanical modelling of erosion due to evaporation in a partially wet granular slope. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 36 (7), pp. 918-943. DOI: 10.1002/nag.1038

Arroyo, M., Butlanska, J., Gens, A., Calvetti, F., Jamiolkowski, M. (2011). Cone penetration tests in a virtual calibration chamber. Géotechnique, 61 (6), pp. 525-531. DOI: 10.1680/geot.9.P.067

Calvetti, F., di Prisco, C., Nova, R. (2004). Experimental and numerical analysis of soil-pipe interaction. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 130 (12), pp. 1292-1299. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:12(1292)

Calvetti, F., Combe, G., Lanier, J. (1997). Experimental micromechanical analysis of a 2D granular material: Relation between structure evolution and loading path. (1997) Mechanics of Cohesive-Frictional Materials, 2 (2), pp. 121-163. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1484(199704)2:2<121::AID-CFM27>3.0.CO;2-2

Community Service

Coordinator of MSc in Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation.