Curriculum: HYRIS

Term: 1^st year, 2^nd Semester

Syllabus

CFU: 6

SSD: CEAR-01/B

Duration and Schedule: available here

Office hours: please contact the lecturers

OBJECTIVES
Mountains occupy about 20% of the land, and approximately 10% of the Earth’s population live in mountains. Great differences in altitude and significant energy potential due to gravity, along with the important role of water in both liquid and solid phases, means that natural hazards of gravitational type are common phenomena in mountains and significantly affect lives and good of people living there. The goal of the course is to introduce the student to the phenomenology and specific features of the considered processes (namely snow avalanches, rock fall and rock avalanches, debris avalanches) as well as to key concept of general validity related to hazard estimate and risk mitigation.
At the end of the course the student should: (a) be able to classify the processes, either on the base of phenomenological features or size; (b) properly handle general concept of risk estimate and mitigation; (c) have basic insight on modelling of considered processes; (d) be able to perform a preliminary design of structural work to reduce hazard and vulnerability; (e) be able to properly and effectively apply a set of empirical relationship and expert criteria for engineering practice.

DESCRIPTION
Snow cover formation and stability

Introduction and motivations; snow cover formation; snow cover metamorphisms; snowpack stratigraphy; snow cover stability; avalanche release mechanisms; snowpack investigation and profiling; stability tests; avalanche classification according to morphology and size; avalanche terrain; identification of avalanche paths.

Snow Avalanches

Statistical avalanche modelling; Avalanche return period: definition and estimate based on historical data; Avalanche encounter probability; Avalanche dynamics models: definition of the design event; Estimate of avalanche velocity and run-out distance using centre of mass models; Estimate of avalanche forces against obstacles; Example of avalanche calculation based on real-world cases; Outline of risk mitigation strategies; Outline of structural avalanche defence works; Design criteria for active avalanche defence structures; Design criteria for passive avalanche defence structures; Example of design of avalanche active/passive protective works based on real-world cases.

Rockfall and Rock avalanches

Rock avalanche and rock falls: definitions; UNI 11211 Italian design code for rock fall protective measures; rockfall simulation models; Design criteria for rock fall barrier and anchoring systems; Design criteria for rock fall embankments; Active vs passive rock fall defence works: real world examples.

Debris flow and debris avalanches

Susceptibility of a mountain basin to debris flow formation; Empirical relationship for debris flow: calculation of magnitude, peak flow rate, velocity, run-out distance; Design criteria for passive structure against debris flow: flexible vs rigid barrier; Passive debris flow defence works: real-world examples.

REQUIREMENTS
Basic knowledge of statistic, mathematics, and physics for engineers
Passion for mountain and related natural hazard

REFERENCES
The avalanche Handbook, D. McClung & P. Schaerer, Ed. The Mountaineers
The Technical Avalanche Protection Handbook, Wiley Eds (Ernst & Sohn)
UNI 11211-4 – Rockfall protective measures, Part 4 – Definitive and executive design
Dieter Rickenmann, Empirical Relationships for Debris Flows, Natural Hazards 19: 47–77, 1999

ASSESSMENT
Written exam

Instructor 1: Marco Pasian: official webpage and CV

Institution: DIPARTIMENTO DI INGEGNERIA INDUSTRIALE E DELL’INFORMAZIONE (UNIPV)

E-mail: marco.pasian@unipv.it

Voice:  +39 0382 985223

Bio: Marco Pasian was born in 1980. He received his MSc Cum Laude in electronic engineering and his Ph.D. in electronics and computer science from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, in 2005 and 2009, respectively. Since October 2020 he is Associate Professor with the Microwave Laboratory of the University of Pavia, where from 2009 to 2013 he was PostDoc, and from 2013 to 2020 Research Fellow / Assistant Professor.

Prof. Pasian is member of the Societa’ Italiana di Elettromagnetismo (SIEm), member of the European Microwave Association (EuMA), senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and unit coordinator for the University of Pavia for the Centro nazionale di ricerca Interuniversitario sulla Interazioni fra Campi Elettromagnetici e Biosistemi (ICEmB). In 2012, 2014, 2021, and 2024 he was Technical Program Committee (TPC) member of the European Microwave Conference (EuMC). In 2014 he also held the position of EuMC TPC co-chair and European Microwave Week Conference Prize Committee Chair. In 2022 he was the EuMC TPC chair, and TPC member for the Mediterranean Microwave Symposium (MMS), In 2023 he was TPC member for the SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference (IMOC). In 2014 and 2017 he was Conference Finance Chair for the IEEE conferences NEMO2014 and IMWS-AMP2017.

Prof. Pasian serves as Editor-in-Chief for the EuMA International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies, as Associate Editor for the IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology. He has been member of several international evaluation boards for PhD courses and scientific calls.

His research interests include microwave and millimeter wave components, systems, and technologies, including substrate integrated waveguides, for space applications and investigation of complex, nonstandard media, most notably for biomedical imaging and cryosphere monitoring

Prof. Pasian is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the MIUR-funded SIR2014 project “SNOWAVE”, the PI of the EU-funded INTERACT TA projects “ARCTICWAVE” (2019), “ARCTIC-GBR” (2020-2021) and “RADARC” (2023-2024), and the Unit Leader for the ASI-funded project “CRIOSAR”, all on snowpack monitoring. He was the PI of the UniPv-funded grant under the call INROAd, and Unit Leader for the MIUR-funded PRIN2017 project “WPT4WID”, both on biomedical applications. He is also Project Manager and/or Scientific Manager of several projects in collaborations with European research centres and/or industries,  including a large number on space applications, often for activities related to the European Space Agency.

In the framework of MS degrees in Electronic Engineering, Bioengineering, and Civil Engineering, Prof. Pasian holds the courses of Satellite and Space Systems, Applied Bioelectromagnetism, and Snow Avalanche and Related Mountain Hazards. He is/was the tutor of 3 PostDocs, 8 Ph.D. students and tutor or co-tutor of more than 55 BS and MS students.

Instructor 2: Massimiliano Barbolini: Official webpage and CV

Institution: DICAR (UNIPV)

E-mail: m.barbolini@unipv.it

Bio: Massimiliano Barbolini is an engineer with twenty years of experience in research, teaching and consulting activity in the field of natural hazard of gravity-driven fast-moving type (snow avalanches, debris flows, rock falls, rapid landslides, torrential floods, etc.).

In this field, his interests have covered a variety of subjects: numerical modelling, hazard and risk mapping, vulnerability studies, risk mitigation, either structural or non-structural. Over time, he has been involved in experimental activities too, both in the laboratory and in the field, as well as in the technological transfer of research outcomes.

After a PhD at the Civil Engineering School of the University of Pavia, he got a four-year Post-Doc grant by the same University to carry on his research activities and collaboration projects in the field of geo-hazard (gravitational fast-moving flows).

Since 2004 he shares his time between teaching (with a position at University of Pavia as Adjunct Professor of the Master Degree course for Civil and Environmental Engineer “Snow avalanches and Related Mountain Natural Hazard”), consulting work (he is co-founder and CTO of the Company Flow-Ing s.r.l., engaged in engineering studies and projects for natural hazard mitigation) and applied research.

He has participated to numerous projects funded by the European Community in the field of natural hazards collaborating with the most important research institutes operating at European level in this field.

The outcomes of his researches have been published in international journals and conference proceedings. He has co-authored technical guidelines at national and European level and has been a member of Editorial board of international journals and conferences. At professional level, he has been assigned as chief engineer and/or building manager of several important national projects for natural risk mitigation.