GeM was honored at the latest Rencontres Universitaires du Génie Civil (RUGC) held in Le Havre from May 28 to 31, 2024, where 3 doctoral students received awards for their work.
Imane Bekrine was the winner of the René Houpert Young Researchers competition, which brought together 28 candidates at the Rencontres Universitaires du Génie Civil (RUGC). Imane defended her doctoral thesis in March 2024 under the supervision of A. Loukili and B. Hilloulin. During her thesis, she developed an original method combining nano-indentation and imaging techniques, enabling precise phase identification at the microstructural scale of low-carbon concrete. This research has made it possible to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of cementitious materials incorporating a high proportion of mineral additions such as slag or metakaolin.
The research prize awarded by the Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics (FNTP) went to Lucile Pigeot, a third-year doctoral student at GeM. The thesis, directed by A. Loukili and supervised by Nathalie Dufour and Anthony Soive (CEREMA), is part of a GeM – Cerema – Egis collaboration. Lucile Pigeot was rewarded for her work on the effect of curing pressure on the behavior of a silt stabilized with lime and hydraulic binder. This is the first time that a soil treated under confinement has been visualized by X-ray microtomography, where a change in microstructure over time has been demonstrated.
The prize for best scientific poster went to Aghiless Yahmi, a second-year doctoral student supervised by A. Khelidj and M. Tahlaiti. The thesis is part of a collaboration between GeM, ICAM Nantes and CSTB. Aghiless Yahmi is working on the development of correlations between ex-situ test results and self-checks, with a view to simplifying the process of justifying the performance of products to be reused in construction.
Congratulations to the winners!