Laurent Brochard
Researcher
Ingénieur des Ponts Eaux et Forêts
Education and appointements
2012-now : researcher and assistant professor at Laboratoire Navier, École des Ponts ParisTech (Champs-sur-Marne, France)
2022 : Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, Université Paris Est-Sup (Champs-sur-Marne, France) – Molecular simulation in geomechanics : application to poromechanical couplings and to brittle failure
2011-2012 : Postdoc, Massachusetts institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) – Fracture properties of source rocks
2008-2011: PhD candidate, École des Ponts ParisTech (Champs-sur-Marne, France) – Poromechanics and adsorption: Application to coal swelling during carbon geological storage, Advisors: Dr. O. Coussy (Navier), Dr. M. Vandamme (Navier), Dr. T. Fen-Chong (Navier), Dr. R. Pellenq (MIT and AMU)
2003-2007: Engineer (Master degree) in Mechanics and Materials, joint degree between École Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) and École des Ponts ParisTech (Champs-sur-Marne, France)
Research interests
Multi scale approaches for the study of the physics and mechanics of materials with emphasis on phenomena that have their origin at the molecular scale :
- adsorption and poromechanics
- fracture mechanics and failure initiation
- thermo-mechanical couplings
- cristallisation confinée
Targeted applications are mostly in geomechanics and construction materials
- underground storage (gas, nuclear wastes)
- seismicity and underground stability
- geomaterials (clays, cementitious materials, heritage materials)
- natural carbons (coal, cellulose)
- nanomaterials (graphene, nanocomposites clay-polymer)
Teaching activities
2020-now: Research project 'Molecular simulation of a flexible Metal-Organic-Framework' (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, undergraduate)
2020-now: Quantum mechanics (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, undergraduate)
2020-now: Introduction to quantum mechanics (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, undergraduate)
2018-now: Molecular simulation in materials science (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, graduate)
2016-now: Statistical Physics Applied to Complex Systems (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, undergraduate)
2010-now: Statistical Physics (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, undergraduate)
2010-now: Ecodesign (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, graduate)
2010-2015: LCA and innovative materials (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, graduate)
2009-2010: Structure mechanics (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, graduate)
Research projects
2022-2025 : CNRS 80Prime project ‘ESOPE’ (Salt weathering: origin of the crystallization pressure), collaboration Navier (Champs-sur-Marne) / ISTO (Orléans) / LMPS (Gif-sur-Yvette)
2021-2023 : CSC PhD (Stability of cement and water transport under cryogenic environment)
2020-2023 : NEEDS-MIPOR project ‘ARPENTONS’ (Experimental-numerical approaches for claystone at many scales for the effects of temperature and saturation), collaboration 3SR (Grenoble) / IC2MP (Poitiers) / Navier (Champs-sur-Marne)
2020-2024 : ANDRA project on claystone fracturation
2019-2023 : ENPC PhD and labex MMCD project (postdocs) on water transfers in won and cellulose, collaboration Navier-multiscale (molecular simulation) / Navier-rheophysics (NMR)
2018-2022 : I-Site project ‘ALLUVIUM’ (earth-based construction), postdoc on the mitigation of drying shrinkage by cationic exchange, collaboration ENPC (molecular simulation) / Univ. Gustave Eiffel (experimentation) / LRMH (preservation of heritage)
2016-2018 : NEEDS-MIPOR project ‘VARAPE’ (Accounting for the spatial variability of claystone properties through a numerical experimental approach at many scales), collaboration 3SR (Grenoble) / IC2MP (Poitiers) / Navier (Champs-sur-Marne)
2015-2019 : ANR project ‘TEAM2ClayDesicc’ (Thermal Expansion of Adsorbing Microporous Media, Application to Thermally Induced Desiccation of Clay)
2013-2018: labex MMCD projects on the study of failure initiation by molecular simulation, collaboration Navier (mechanics) / CERMICS (applied mathematics)
Selection of publications
Asadi, F., Zhu, H.-X., Vandamme, M., Roux, J.-N., & Brochard, L. (2022). A meso-scale model of clay matrix: the role of hydration transitions in geomechanical behavior. Soft Matter. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00773H
Brochard, L. (2021). Swelling of Montmorillonite from Molecular Simulations: Hydration Diagram and Confined Water Properties. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125(28), 15527–15543. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c02659
Brochard, L., Honório, T. (2021). Thermo-poro-mechanics under adsorption applied to the anomalous thermal pressurization of water in undrained clays. Acta Geotechnica, 16(9), 2713–2727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-021-01188-8
Brochard, L., & Honório, T. (2020). Revisiting thermo-poro-mechanics under adsorption: Formulation without assuming Gibbs-Duhem equation. International Journal of Engineering Science, 152, 103296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijengsci.2020.103296
Brochard, L., Souguir, S., & Sab, K. (2018). Scaling of brittle failure : strength versus toughness. International Journal of Fracture, 210(1-2), 153–166. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-018-0268-9
Brochard, L., Honório, T., Vandamme, M., Bornert, M., & Peigney, M. (2017). Nanoscale origin of the thermo-mechanical behavior of clays. Acta Geotechnica, 12(6), 1261–1279. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-017-0596-3
Brochard, L., Tejada, I. G., & Sab, K. (2016). From yield to fracture, failure initiation captured by molecular simulation. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 95, 632–646. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2016.05.005
Brochard, L., Vandamme, M., Pellenq, R. J. M., & Fen-Chong, T. (2012). Adsorption-induced deformation of microporous materials : Coal swelling induced by CO2-CH4 competitive adsorption. Langmuir, 28(5), 2659–2670. http://doi.org/10.1021/la204072d
Brochard, L., Vandamme, M., & Pellenq, R. J.-M. (2012). Poromechanics of microporous media. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 60(4), 606–622. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2012.01.001