About me

Picture of me
Alexandre Sac-Morane
Post-doctoral researcher under the supervision of Jean-Michel Pereira and Philipp Braun (Navier Lab, ENPC, France).
Currently at Navier Laboratory, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Champs-sur-Marne, France.

Soil Mechanics / Rock Mechanics / Numerical Simulation / Discrete Element Method / Phase-Field Description / Chemo-Mechanical Couplings / Digital Image Correlation

ORCID : 0009-0008-5454-8107
My github
My Google scholar profile
My Researchgate profile
My arXiv
My SSRN profile
Contact me at alexandre.sac-morane@enpc.fr

Projects

  • PFDEM

    Phase-Field Discrete Element Modelization.

  • PF

    Phase-Field description.

  • DEM

    Discrete Element Modelization.

  • Generation of microstructures

    Generation of synthetic microstructures.

  • DIC

    Digital Image Correlation.

Publications

    in the process of publication:
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane, Katerina Ioannidou, Manolis Veveakis, Hadrien Rattez. Predicting cement microstructure and mechanical properties in hydrating cement paste with a Phase-Field model. ?. ?.
  • Shijin Li, Alexandre Sac-Morane, Jeroen Soete, Hannes Claes, Johan Vanhulst, Hadrien Rattez. Fines-Induced Shear Band Thickening in Gap-Graded Soils: Evidence from Digital Image and Volume Correlations. ?. ?.
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane, Manolis Veveakis, Hadrien Rattez. Stress state evolution of a cemented granular material subjected to bond dissolution by Discrete Element Modeling. ?. ?.

    • 2025:
  • Fanyu Wu, Alexandre Sac-Morane, Hadrien Rattez, Manolis Veveakis, Manman Hu. Onset of reactive brittle cracking in sandstones: DEM-informed phase-field modeling. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences. 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2025.106319.
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane, Hadrien Rattez, Manolis Veveakis. Importance of the precipitation on the slowdown of the creep behavior due to pressure-solution. Journal of Engineering Mechanics. 10.1061/jenmdt/emeng-8360.
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane. Numerical Analysis of Chemo-Mechanical Couplings in Geomaterials at the Microscale. PhD thesis. Duke University & UCLouvain.

    • 2024:
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane, Manolis Veveakis, Hadrien Rattez. A Phase-Field Discrete Element Method to study chemo-mechanical coupling in granular materials. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering. 10.1016/j.cma.2024.116900.
  • Alexandre Sac-Morane, Manolis Veveakis, Hadrien Rattez. Frictional weakening of a granular sheared layer due to viscous rolling revealed by Discrete Element Modeling. Granular Matter. 10.1007/s10035-024-01407-5.

    • 2022:
  • Hadrien Rattez, Yaozhong Shi, Alexandre Sac-Morane, Timothée Klaeyle, Bolesław Mielniczuk, Manolis Veveakis. Effect of grain size distribution on the shear band thickness evolution in sand. Géotechnique. 10.1680/jgeot.20.P.120.

Recognition

    January 2026 Lecture invitation
    ISRM Young Members' Seminar.
    How the Chemistry threatens the Mechanical Integrity of Underground Reservoirs
    June 2025 Lecture invitation
    W(H)YDOC (International Workshop for Young Doctors in Geomechanics) 25.
    A Phase Field Discrete Element Method to Model Chemo-Mechanical Couplings in Geomaterials at the Microscale
    May 2025 Outstanding Scholarship Award
    Duke University Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
    May 2024 Lecture invitation
    CFMR Jeunes Technical Workshop: Multiphysics Phenomena during Natural and Human-Induced Fluid Flow in the Subsurface.
    Micro Chemo-Mechanical Modeling to understand Fault Reactivation and Reservoir Settlement during Subsurface Fluid Injection/Extraction
    May 2024 Poromechanics Student Paper Competition EMI/PMC 2024 Runner Up
    for the paper titled: The competition between dissolution, precipitation and diffusion during pressure-solution creep in porous materials: a PFDEM investigation.

Experience

    June 2025 - Nowadays Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Champs-sur-Marne, France
    Post-doctoral position under the supervision of Jean-Michel Pereira & Philipp Braun
    Development of a digital twin to investigate the hydration of anhydrite
    September 2021 - June 2025 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA & UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
    PhD under the supervision of Manolis Veveakis & Hadrien Rattez
    Numerical Analysis of Chemo-Mechanical Couplings in Geomaterials at the Microscale
    March 2021 - July 2021 UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
    Master Internship under the supervision of Hadrien Rattez
    Discrete Element Modelization on a shear rock test
    May 2019 - July 2019 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
    Master Internship under the supervision of Manolis Veveakis and Hadrien Rattez
    DIC during triaxial test on soil sample
    July 2018 - August 2018 Ingerop, Paris, France
    Licence Internship
    Update a prices database and development of Excel sheet to design roofs to the shear phenomenon

Review activities

    International journals
    Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
    International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics
    Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment
    National conference (France)
    13eme Journées Nationales de Géotechniques et de Géologie de l'Ingénieur

Education

    September 2021 - May 2025 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA & UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
    PhD under the supervision of Manolis Veveakis & Hadrien Rattez
    September 2020 - September 2021 Université Grenoble Alpes, Saint-Martin-d'hères, France
    Master Geomechanics, Civil Engineering and Risks
    September 2018 - September 2020 Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
    Master of Civil Engineering
    September 2017 - September 2018 Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
    3rd year of Engineering License
    September 2015 - September 2017 Lycée Déodat de Séverac, Toulouse, France
    Highly selective classes to prepare for the competitive exams of French schools, Option Physics and Technologies