Modelling Fracture & localization in porous rock materials

ModeFoam aims to develop a multiscale and multiphysics framework for understanding the coupled evolution of fractures and localized deformation in porous rocks. These interacting failure mechanisms strongly influence permeability evolution, fluid flow, and the potential for injection-induced seismicity, but remain difficult to predict with conventional models. The project will develop an advanced hypoplastic constitutive model enriched with multiscale internal variables that describe fabric evolution, grain breakage, and thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical coupling. Machine learning will be used to identify relevant internal variables from hybrid experimental and modelling databases. The developed constitutive model will be integrated into a multiscale numerical modelling architecture to capture the initiation, interaction, and co-evolution of compaction bands and fractures. The outcomes will provide a predictive tool for assessing fault instability and seismic risks in fluid-injected porous geological media.