My research interests and experties deal mainly with the behaviour of granular materials with crushable grains, the morphology characterisation of materials microstructure, and multi-physic coupled processes
29
Scopus Publications
313
Scholar Citations
10
Scholar h-index
11
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Microstructural insight into the effect of fine content on frost heave in clayey sand mixtures Giulia Guida, Floriana Anselmucci, Francesca Casini, Vanessa Magnanimo Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2026 This study investigates the complex thermo-hydro-mechanical response of frost-susceptible soils subjected to freezing and thawing, using in situ X-ray computed tomography. Five saturated clayey sand mixtures with varying kaolin contents have been subjected to two freeze-thaw cycles by means of a cooling plate. X-ray computed tomography enabled the reconstruction of three-dimensional images of the samples at different deformation stages during the thermal process, revealing the influence of fine content on the microstructure evolution. The soil response to freeze-thaw cycles is shown to be highly heterogeneous, with local axial deformation exceeding 100%, especially in the central regions of samples with higher fine content. During freezing, frost heave ratios reached 25%, 47%, 66%, for mixtures with 5%, 10% and 20% of kaolin, respectively, and up to 78% for the mixture with 50% kaolin, the main cause of deformation being the water migration driven by fine pores. Upon thawing, the soil rarely returns to its initial undeformed state, often resulting in a significantly altered microstructure. Image analysis provided both qualitative and quantitative insights into the evolving non-homogeneous density patterns and the localized phenomena occurring throughout the transient process.
Experimental investigation of frost heave in clayey sands: Effects of density and thermal conditions Benedetta Tosti, Giulia Guida E3s Web of Conferences, 2025 This study experimentally investigates the effects of soil density and temperature boundary conditions on frost heave behaviour and ice lens formation in saturated specimens composed of a binary sand - kaolin mixture. Controlled freeze-thaw tests have been conducted to simulate field frost conditions, using a cold plate to impose various subzero temperatures on one side of the sample while maintaining room temperature on the other. The room temperature has been regulated by a walk-in environmental chamber at the Geotechnical Laboratory of Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata. To monitor the effects freeze-thaw cycles, temperature sensors and a linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT) have been used throughout the tests. Preliminary results indicate that the lower boundary temperatures accelerate the onset of frost heave and alter the position of the ice lenses. Additionally, an inverse relationship has been observed between soil density and frost heave susceptibility, with denser sand-kaolin mixtures exhibiting reduced volumetric effects compared to looser ones. Finally, the experimental findings are compared with an analytical model from the literature, which effectively predicts the position of ice lens.
Dielectric permittivity method to monitor (liquid) water content in unsaturated soils, frozen soils, and snow Alessandro Tarantino, Roberta Dainese, Carla Pendino, Giulia Guida E3s Web of Conferences, 2025 Monitoring (liquid) water content is key to inform early-warning systems for unsaturated, permafrost, and snow slopes. Dielectric permittivity-based sensors are widely used to monitor (liquid) water content in unsaturated soils and include the well-known TDR and capacitive probes. In contrast to unsaturated soils, there are no established methods to measure liquid water content in frozen soils and snow. This paper introduces the ‘refractive index’ mixing model for four-phase materials (solids, air, liquid water, and solid water) as a unifying equation to interpret dielectric permittivity measurements in unsaturated soils, frozen soils, and snow. The mixing model is first used to revisit empirical equations used to estimate the water content in unsaturated soils. It is then validated against TDR measurements of bulk density in dry snow. Its use to monitor the liquid water content in frozen soils and snow is finally discussed.
Implementation and validation of a hydro-mechanical model based on the Clay and Sand Model extended to unsaturated conditions Arianna Pucci, Ignacio Giomi, Giulia Guida, Vicente Navarro, Francesca Casini E3s Web of Conferences, 2025 Wetting -induced collapse settlements are a brittle and irreversible phenomenon that can cause significant structural damage and economic losses. These deformations primarily occur in loose and unsaturated soils triggered by water infiltration due to precipitation, pipe leakage, or a rising water table. Modelling this phenomenon requires a comprehensive hydro-mechanical (H-M) coupling approach to capture the interaction between hydraulic and mechanical processes within the soil. This approach involves the simultaneous solution of the water mass balance and mechanical equilibrium equations. In this study, the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics® was used as an implementation platform to develop a numerical solver to simulate different laboratory tests, including triaxial tests under constant and variable suction. The Clay and Sand Model (CASM), extended to unsaturated conditions by incorporating Bishop’s effective stress and suction as stress variables, called U-CASM, was employed as the constitutive model. The CASM framework provides a unified elastic-plastic model capable of capturing the behaviour of both clayey and sandy soils. The use of symbolic algebra facilitated an efficient implementation, with an integration strategy based on the Current Increment Corrects Error (CICE) method, which reduces potential integration drift. The model was verified against predictions obtained by other numerical tools with the same constitutive model and subsequently calibrated and validated considering experimental results available in literature. The comparison with experimental data demonstrated that the model accurately reproduces the soil behaviour under different suction and loading conditions.
Closed-Form SWCC Functions for Granular Mixtures Emőke Imre, Ágnes Bálint, Tibor Firgi, Delphin Kabey Mwinken, Giulia Guida, et al. E3s Web of Conferences, 2025 Four closed-form water-retention functions (the Gardner, Fredlund – Xing, van Genuchten 4 and 5) were validated using the experimental, ideal water retention curve data of 7 granular fractions (fine gravel, sand and silt) and their 21 mixtures with fractal distribution (being similar to the Fuller curves), composed from 2 to 7 fractions. The measurement was approximate since some sand and kaolinite boxes designated for some fixed suction loads were used being proper for more plastic soils. The homothetic, fractal grading curves with N = 2, 3, ...7 fractions, resp.; resulted in homothetic SWCC-s. A data mining procedure was used to assess the precise shape. Then the discrimination study showed that the 5-parameter model of van Genuchten was the best and the Fredlund-Xing modelwas the secdond best. The results showed some interdependence of the parameters. Discussing the results by considering more complicated grading curve samples, the double Weibull function was found to be better for SWCC-s of gap-graded grading curves.
Interpretation of an artificial ground freezing field trial at Fori Imperiali in Rome Giulia Guida, Arianna Pucci, Eliano Romani, Giulia M.B. Viggiani, Francesca Casini Underground Space New, 2025 This paper describes a field trial of artificial ground freezing (AGF) carried out in connection with the construction of Line C of Roma underground. AGF was one of the options considered for the temporary stabilisation of the ground during the excavation of Colosseo-Fori Imperiali Station. The field trial aimed at assessing the feasibility of AGF in the complex soil profile and groundwater regime of the subsoil of the historical centre of Roma by establishing the response of the subsoil to the imposed freezing loads, the ability to create a continuous frozen wall, and the associated coolant consumption. The extensive monitoring data were exploited to conduct a detailed analysis of the transient freezing process in the stratified subsoil and used to develop and validate a three-dimensional thermo-hydraulic numerical model. Special attention was given to defining and applying appropriate boundary conditions at the freezing pipes. The paper discusses the main factors affecting the time-dependent freezing process and explores the applicability of simplified two-dimensional models for the Fori Imperiali AGF field trial.
Freezing-thawing response of sand-kaolin mixtures in oedometric conditions Andrea Viglianti, Giulia Guida, Francesca Casini E3s Web of Conferences, 2024 The freezing and thawing cycles applied to soils can often be causes of irreversible instabilities, uplift, or subsidence. These phenomena can be both natural (e.g. permafrost regions) or artificially induced (e.g. artificial ground freezing (AGF), as an excavation earth support technique for tunnelling). When the soil temperature falls below 0°C, the liquid water changes phase turning into ice. The freezing process generally implies an expansion of the soil element due to (i) the lower density of the migration of the ice and (ii) the pore water toward the frozen front. The complex interaction between the solid grains, the water and the ice formation during freezing determines the soil’s overall thermo-hydromechanical (THM) behaviour. Sandy mixtures with different percentages of kaolin were tested on an oedometer developed at the Geotechnical Laboratory of Universita degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, working at temperatures below zero. The samples were compressed under five different vertical stresses (50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 kPa, respectively), and then a freezing and thawing cycle was applied by steps to a minimum temperature of -20°C. The experimental results regarding temperature evolution, vertical displacements, and liquid water amount monitored are discussed and interpreted through a micro-to-macro approach. The data analysis revealed interesting outcomes that characterise mechanical and hydraulic hysteresis during freezing and thawing processes. A deeper understanding of the coupled phenomena that occur during the freezing and thawing cycles is supposed to contribute to developing a constitutive model that can reproduce the irreversible volumetric response of frozen soils.
Grading curve relations for saturated hydraulic conductivity of granular materials Emoke Imre, Zsombor Illés, Francesca Casini, Giulia Guida, Shuyin Feng, Maria Datcheva, Wiebke Baille, Ágnes Bálint, Delphin Kabey Mwinken, János Lorincz, James Leak, Daniel Barreto Environmental Geotechnics, 2024 Estimation of hydraulic conductivity in soils is challenging. The primary aim of this study is to demonstrate that such predictions may be improved if grading curves are appropriately quantified and described, as well as by including density-related values in such relationships. Various saturated hydraulic conductivity models were tested with the assumption that predictions would improve if different grading curve statistics are used. A unimodal database was elaborated using old and new data. Three types of permeability models were examined. One using the traditional variables consisting of the product of harmonic mean dh or d10 and void ratio, the hydraulic radius; as well as additional density information. The second using the grading entropy coordinate pair S0, ΔS or the similar pair d10, CU, expressing the mean grain size on logarithmic scale along with the spread of the grain size distribution and containing similar information on pore size distribution (POSD) by duality. When these were combined in the third type, including also relative density for coarse materials, the fit was the best, verifying the hypothesis that the full pore size range may be the missing pore geometry information of the Taylor’s equation (hence predictions are better if grading curve parameters consider the entire distribution of particle sizes). The parameters identified for the various data series were dependent on the data themselves as found from early times in literature. The similarity of grading entropy coordinate pairs and the pair d10, CU, as well as dh and d10, was analysed by simulations and by using the same measured data.
The role of hydraulic and thermal properties of soil in evaporation: A numerical insight Giulia Guida, Vincenzo Sergio Vespo, Guido Musso, Gabriele Della Vecchia Environmental Geotechnics, 2023 Evaporation from geological formations results from the interaction between the geomaterial and the atmosphere. Geotechnical engineering issues, such as slope stability, pollution containment and soil heave/shrinkage, require a deep understanding of the soil–atmosphere interaction ruled by evaporation. Evaporation is a multiphase thermo-hydraulic phenomenon that includes liquid water, vapour and heat fluxes. It is generally modelled considering the thermal energy and water mass balance equations of unsaturated soils. This paper presents a numerical model for reproducing evaporation processes under controlled environmental conditions. The model was implemented in the Comsol Multiphysics finite-element software and first validated against experimental data from the literature. Then, it was used to investigate the role of hydraulic and thermal properties in the evaporative response. The numerical results revealed differences in the evolution of the water content profiles over time due to the interplay between hydraulic conductivity and retention properties. Hydraulic conductivity mainly impacts the shape of water content isochrones: fast drying of superficial layers and slow desaturation of deeper layers occur with decreasing hydraulic conductivity values. On the other hand, the moisture capacity primarily impacts the thickness of the desaturating layer, which decreases for higher values of the moisture capacity.
Numerical study on the effects of groundwater table oscillation beneath the "palazzaccio" courthouse in Rome Gorizia D’ Alessio, Arianna Pucci, Giulia Guida, Francesca Casini E3s Web of Conferences, 2023 This work aims to evaluate the settlement induced by the river Tiber groundwater table oscillations. A representative section of the subsoil beneath the courthouse “Palazzaccio”, close to the river in the city centre of Rome, is analysed via the finite element method with a fully coupled hydro-mechanicalmodel. The effects of wetting-drying cycles induced by the water table oscillation are accounted for by adopting the Barcelona Basic Model for the unsaturated layers, whose model parameters are calibrated using experimental results on saturated and unsaturated samples and literature data. The variation of the river Tiber level is reconstructed according to the “Tevere – Ripetta” hydrometric station records between 2005 and 2008, and it is applied as a boundary condition at the boundary of the model domain.
Some Notes on Granular Mixtures with Finite, Discrete Fractal Distribution Emoke Imre, István Talata, Daniel Barreto, Maria Datcheva, Wiebke Baille, Ivan Georgiev, Stephen Fityus, Vijay P. Singh, Francesca Casini, Giulia Guida, Phong Q. Trang, János Lőrincz Periodica Polytechnica Civil Engineering, 2022
Reanalysis of some in situ compaction test results Imre, E., Lorincz, J., Trang, P.Q., Casini, F., Guida, G., et al. 17th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Ecsmge 2019 Proceedings, 2019
Microstructural insight into the effect of fine content on frost heave in clayey sand mixtures G Guida, F Anselmucci, F Casini, V Magnanimo Cold Regions Science and Technology, 104699 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Fractal Analysis of Otolith Contours and Shape for Species Discrimination F Condal, G Guida 2025
Interpretation of an artificial ground freezing field trial at Fori Imperiali in Rome G Guida, A Pucci, E Romani, GMB Viggiani, F Casini Underground Space 23, 89-112 , 2025 2025 Citations: 10
Effects of subzero temperature circulating fluids on the performance of Energy Micropiles G Romiti, M Gerola, F Scuderi, G Guida, F Cecinato 3rd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics 2025 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
The role of hydraulic and thermal properties of soil in evaporation: a numerical insight G Guida, VS Vespo, G Musso, G Della Vecchia Environmental Geotechnics 12 (1), 34-51 , 2025 2025 Citations: 14
Fractal analysis of otolith contours and shape for marine fish species discrimination F Condal, G Guida Journal of Marine Studies 3 (1) , 2025 2025
Effetti del fluido termovettore circolante a temperature sottozero sulle prestazioni dei micropali energetici G Romiti, G Guida, F Scuderi, M Gerola, F Cecinato Atti dell'incontro annuale dei ricercatori di geotecnica, III-31-III-36 , 2025 2025
Closed-form SWCC functions for granular mixtures E Imre, A Balint, T Firgi, D Kabey Mwinken, G Guida, V Singh, K Rajkai E3S Web of Conferences 642 , 2025 2025
Dielectric permittivity method to monitor (liquid) water content in unsaturated soils, frozen soils, and snow A Tarantino, R Dainese, C Pendino, G Guida E3S Web of Conferences 642, 03022 , 2025 2025
Experimental investigation of frost heave in clayey sands: Effects of density and thermal conditions B Tosti, G Guida E3S Web of Conferences 642, 04008 , 2025 2025
Implementation and validation of a hydro–mechanical model based on the Clay and Sand Model extended to unsaturated conditions A Pucci, I Giomi, G Guida, V Navarro, F Casini E3S Web of Conferences 642, 02007 , 2025 2025
Grading curve relations for saturated hydraulic conductivity of granular materials E Imre, Z Illés, F Casini, G Guida, S Feng, M Datcheva, W Baille, Á Bálint, ... Environmental Geotechnics, 1-85 , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Artificial Ground Freezing for underground excavation: a coupled modelling approach supporting tunnelling design G Guida, F Casini, A Restaini, A Celot Geotechnical Engineering Challenges to Meet Current and Emerging Needs of … , 2024 2024
A FEM model for evaporation and infiltration in unsaturated soils interacting with the atmosphere M Aimar, G Della Vecchia, G Guida, G Musso, VS Vespo Titolo volume non avvalorato 1, 1-1 , 2024 2024
Experimental study of the frost heave mechanism of solar panel piled foundations in scaled centrifuge models A Viglianti, G Viggiani, F Casini, G Guida 2024
Freezing-thawing response of sand-kaolin mixtures in oedometric conditions A Viglianti, G Guida, F Casini E3S Web of Conferences 544 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Geotechnical Analysis on the Effects of Tiber River Hydraulic Regime in the City Centre of Rome Within the Project Tiber’S A Pucci, G D’Alessio, I Giannetti, I Moriero, G Guida, JFG Tello, B Moccia, ... National Conference of the Researchers of Geotechnical Engineering, 732-740 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Microstructure of Crushable Expanded Clay Aggregates G Guida, F Casini, GMB Viggiani, E Andò, G Viggiani Album of Porous Media: Structure and Dynamics, 35-35 , 2023 2023
Water retention curve–based design method for the artificial ground freezing: the isarco river underpass tunnels within the brenner base tunnel project F Casini, G Guida, A Restaini, A Celot Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 149 (3), 04023007 , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
Hydro-mechanical behaviour of a cement–bentonite mixture along evaporation and water-uptake controlled paths G Musso, VS Vespo, G Guida, G Della Vecchia Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment 33, 100413 , 2023 2023 Citations: 20
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Multi-scale morphological descriptors from the fractal analysis of particle contour G Guida, GMB Viggiani, F Casini Acta Geotechnica 15 (5), 1067-1080 , 2020 2020 Citations: 54
Breakage mechanisms of highly porous particles in 1D compression revealed by X-ray tomography G Guida, F Casini, GMB Viggiani, E Ando, G Viggiani Géotechnique Letters 8 (2), 155-160 , 2018 2018 Citations: 46
Linking micro grainsize polydispersity to macro porosity G Guida, I Einav, B Marks, F Casini International Journal of Solids and Structures 187, 75-84 , 2020 2020 Citations: 36
Weibull distribution to describe grading evolution of materials with crushable grains G Guida, M Bartoli, F Casini, GMB Viggiani Procedia Engineering 158, 75-80 , 2016 2016 Citations: 32
Grain morphology and strength dilatancy of sands G Guida, D Sebastiani, F Casini, S Miliziano Géotechnique Letters 9 (4), 245-253 , 2019 2019 Citations: 21
Hydro-mechanical behaviour of a cement–bentonite mixture along evaporation and water-uptake controlled paths G Musso, VS Vespo, G Guida, G Della Vecchia Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment 33, 100413 , 2023 2023 Citations: 20
Water retention curve–based design method for the artificial ground freezing: the isarco river underpass tunnels within the brenner base tunnel project F Casini, G Guida, A Restaini, A Celot Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 149 (3), 04023007 , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
The role of hydraulic and thermal properties of soil in evaporation: a numerical insight G Guida, VS Vespo, G Musso, G Della Vecchia Environmental Geotechnics 12 (1), 34-51 , 2025 2025 Citations: 14
Contour fractal analysis of grains G Guida, F Casini, GMB Viggiani EPJ Web of Conferences 140, 05008 , 2017 2017 Citations: 12
A procedure to estimate cutoff wall transport properties from monitoring wells G Guida, G Musso, G Sanetti, C Di Prisco, G Della Vecchia International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics … , 2021 2021 Citations: 11
Interpretation of an artificial ground freezing field trial at Fori Imperiali in Rome G Guida, A Pucci, E Romani, GMB Viggiani, F Casini Underground Space 23, 89-112 , 2025 2025 Citations: 10
Breakage mechanisms of highly porous particles in 1D compression revealed by X-ray tomography. Geotech Lett 8 (2): 155–160 G Guida, F Casini, GMB Viggiani, E Andò, G Viggiani 2018 Citations: 5
Freezing-thawing response of sand-kaolin mixtures in oedometric conditions A Viglianti, G Guida, F Casini E3S Web of Conferences 544 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Some notes on granular mixtures with finite, discrete fractal distribution E Imre, I Talata, D Barreto, M Datcheva, W Baille, I Georgiev, S Fityus, ... Periodica Polytechnica Civil Engineering 66 (1), 179-192 , 2022 2022 Citations: 4
Examination of saturated hydraulic conductivity using grading curve functions E Imre, L Nagy, D Barreto, F Casini, G Guida, S Feng 2021 Citations: 4
Grading evolution of an artificial granular material from medium to high stress under one-dimensional compression F Casini, G Guida, M Bartoli, GMB Viggiani 2017 Citations: 4
Grading curve relations for saturated hydraulic conductivity of granular materials E Imre, Z Illés, F Casini, G Guida, S Feng, M Datcheva, W Baille, Á Bálint, ... Environmental Geotechnics, 1-85 , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Geotechnical and historical aspects on the collapse of the Tiber embankment walls in the centre of Roma (1870–1900) F Casini, A Pucci, I Giannetti, G Guida Geotechnical Engineering for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic … , 2022 2022 Citations: 3
Numerical study on the effects of groundwater table oscillation beneath the “Palazzaccio” courthouse in Rome G D’Alessio, A Pucci, G Guida, F Casini E3S Web of Conferences 382, 17006 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Preliminary evidences on the influence of grains micro-structural features on the TBM tools wear D Sebastiani, S Miliziano, G Guida, F Casini Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground. 2nd Edition … , 2022 2022 Citations: 2