Geophysics & Non-destructive evaluation
The GeoEND laboratory has 11 permanent members, including 7 researchers. Its scientific activity focuses on four scientific topics:
- high-resolution subsurface imaging,
- the use of guided waves,
- wave propagation and diffusion in heterogeneous media,
- differential auscultation methods for monitoring.
Methodological and material developments address societal challenges in three major areas:
- Energy civil engineering: This field was very much present in the GeoEND laboratory's activities prior to 2013, particularly in relation to the French nuclear sector (waste storage, concrete containment structures). Since 2016, it has expanded to include marine renewable energy (MRE) in a very favorable local context and, very recently, to the oil and gas sector (subsurface imaging, pipe monitoring).
- Risks: Mechanical and hydraulic monitoring of sea walls and protective structures is a key concern (seismic background noise, electrical tomography monitoring), as is the detection of potentially dangerous cavities that are currently difficult to detect using conventional geophysical methods.
- Infrastructure durability: The laboratory is involved in the development of ECND methods for the detection and localization of defects in slender structures (cables, tie rods, rails) and the mechanical and physicochemical characterization of concrete in structures (combining techniques, obtaining property gradients).