Overview
Tomasz Hueckel received his master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Technology in Gdansk, Poland, in 1968, his Ph.D. in applied mechanics from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, in 1974, and the D.Sc. in physical sciences from the University of Grenoble, France, in 1985. He started his research career at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, then taught at the University of Rome and the University of Technology in Milan before joining ISMES, a research institute in Bergamo, Italy, where he was responsible for research on geomechanical aspects of nuclear waste disposal in clays, a subject in which he continues to be strongly involved. He came to Duke in 1987.
Dr. Hueckel's research interest is in theoretical soil mechanics, rock mechanics, and environmental geomechanics, as well as in theory of plasticity. His current projects deal with thermo-plasticity and chemo-plasticity of clays, and in general in mechanics of materials composed of chemically reacting solids and liquids. He is interested in fundamental aspects of soil drying and cracking, and processes of soil aging and healing. The above subjects involve mathematical modeling and model driven laboratory experiments. He also is interested in basic aspects of theory of plasticity, such as stability and localization. His research is applied to hydraulic geo-barriers affected either by chemically hazardous liquids or nuclear waste heat, to prediction of petroleum production induced compaction and subsidence, as well as desiccation damage.
Dr. Hueckel is a co-founder and co-Editor-in Chief (2015) of Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, an Elsevier journal. He has published also in International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal of Engineering Science, Pure and Applied Geophysics, Surveys in Geophysics, Engineering Geology, Engineering Fracture Mechanics, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Engineering, International Journal of Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Computers and Geotechnics, International Journal of Soils and Foundations, Journal de Mecanique, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Meccanica, Ingenieur- Archiv, and the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering. He has also contributed to numerous books on the state of the art. Dr. Hueckel is heavily involved in international research cooperation, collaborating and co-authoring with Belgian, Italian, French, Polish, Spanish and Swiss researchers. He is or was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, the Archive of Applied Mechanics and of the International Journal of Mechanics of Cohesive and Frictional Materials, ASCE Journals of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, Italian Geotechnical Journal and Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica (Polish).
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
In memoriam of Patrick Selvadurai
Journal Article Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment · June 1, 2024 Full text CiteThe physics of desiccation cracks 2: Modeling and prediction of the crack patterns
Journal Article Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment · September 1, 2023 This paper extends the experimental results of our companion paper by modeling and predicting the onset and pattern formation of desiccation cracks in geomaterials (Ruoyu et al., 2023). Thin-layer silt samples in controlled atmospheric conditions were test ... Full text CiteThe physics of desiccation cracks 1: Ductile fracturing and dependence on relative humidity
Journal Article Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment · September 1, 2023 Ductile deformation is ubiquitously found in the shrinkage of geomaterials. The existence of ductility requires elastoplastic mechanics when analyzing the structure deformation under external stress. In this work, we explore the physics of ductile fracturi ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Multiphysics degradation processes, and their mitigation, in engineered and geological barriers: experiments and simulation
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2018 - 2022Controlling Deep-Seated Landslides by Monitoring Basal Temperature (CorDeaL)
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2020 - 2022Chemo-mechanical Nano-scale Mechanisms of Aging
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2007 - 2012View All Grants
Recent Artistic Works
My classroom - Lecture 13: Shear strength
New Media January 1, 2016 to my art webpageView All Artistic Works