Ovalle, Carlos

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Carlos Ovalle

P.Eng., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Publications

Link(s)

Full Professor
Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering

Phone: (514) 340-4711 Ext. 4255 Fax: (514) 340-3981 Room: A-356

carlos.ovalle@polymtl.ca

Areas of expertise
Geotechnical engineering (including engineering geology) Mining engineering

Research interests and affiliations

Research interests

Mining geotechnics
Mine waste management
Hydromechanical degradation of geomaterials
Experimental geotechnics
Multiscale and constitutive modeling
Characterization of coarse granular materials
Valorization of mine wastes and tailings

Affiliation(s)

Research lab "Granular mechanics for mining geotechnics", Principal investigator
Astrolith, Member
Research Institute on Mines and the Environment (RIME) UQAT-Polytechnique, Member

Expertise type(s) (NSERC subjects)

1002 Geotechnical engineering (including engineering geology)
1401 Mining engineering

Publications

Featured

Girumugisha, G., Ovalle, C., Reith, H., & Henning Stutz, H. (2026). Effects of triaxial sample scaling on the mechanical behavior of alluvial gravels. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 152(1), 04025166 (14 pages).

Cardenas Barrantes, M. A., & Ovalle, C. (2025). Multiscale insights into Sliding Surface Liquefaction through DEM simulations. Computers and Geotechnics, 183, 107191 (11 pages).

Cantor, D., & Ovalle, C. (2025). Sample size effects on the critical state shear strength of granular materials with varied gradation and the role of column-like local structures. Géotechnique, 75(1), 29-40.

Carrasco, S., Cantor, D., Ovalle, C., & Dubois, F. (2025). Particle shape distribution effects on the critical strength of granular materials. Computers and Geotechnics, 177, 12 pages.

Girumugisha, G., Ovalle, C., & Ouellet, S. (2024). Grading scalping and sample size effects on critical shear strength of mine waste rock through laboratory and in-situ testing. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 183, 105915 (12 pages).

Osses, R., Pineda, J., Ovalle, C., Linero, S., & Sáez, E. (2024). Scale and suction effects on compressibility and time-dependent deformation of mine waste rock material. Engineering Geology, 340, 107668 (15 pages).

Castro Malaver, L. C., Cardenas Barrantes, M. A., Cantor, D., Renouf, M., Azéma, É., Ovalle, C., & Lizcano, A. (2026). Static liquefaction: the role of grain size polydispersity from a micro-structural perspective. Computers and Geotechnics, 193, 107996 (14 pages).

Girumugisha, G., & Ovalle, C. (2026). End restraint effects in triaxial tests on H:D = 2:1 specimens of rockfill material. Géotechnique Letters, 6 pages.

Cardenas Barrantes, M. A., Renouf, M., Azéma, É., & Ovalle, C. (2026). Comparing granular and fragmentation-driven silo DEM models for block caving. Powder Technology, 476, 122409 (10 pages).

See all publications (102)

Biography

I am a Professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, where I have been a faculty member since 2018. I am also a member of the Research Institute on Mines and the Environment (RIME UQAT–Polytechnique), a collaborative research institute supported by six major industrial partners and dedicated to developing innovative solutions to address environmental challenges in the mining industry.

I received my BSc in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Chile). I then earned an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering from École Centrale Paris (France) in 2010, followed by a PhD from École Centrale de Nantes (France) in 2013. Before joining Polytechnique Montréal, I served as an Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC Chile) from 2013 to 2018.

Prior to pursuing my doctoral studies, I spent ten years as a consulting engineer specializing in environmental geotechnics for mining projects in the Andes of Chile, Peru, and Argentina. Since 2010, my work has focused on academia, combining research, teaching, and graduate supervision while maintaining strong collaborations with industry. My research interests encompass the experimental characterization, numerical modeling, and analytical investigation of geotechnical problems, with a particular emphasis on mining waste storage facilities, including tailings, waste rock, and integrated mine waste management systems.

Teaching

MIN3311 Géotechnique minière

MIN8176 Exploitation en souterrain

MIN8986 (participation) : Projet intégrateur IV en génie des mines

Education

Ph.D., École Centrale Nantes, France
M.Sc., École Centrale Paris, France
Civil Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile

Supervision at Polytechnique

IN PROGRESS

Post-doctoral fellowship (1)
- Cardenas-Barrantes, Manuel. Multi-scale mechanics of granular media.
Ph.D. (6)
- Le Van, Quyen. Experimental investigation of fines content on liquefaction potential of mine tailings.
- Jalalichi, Zahra. Assessment of the mechanical behavior of mine waste rock open-pit backfill using field monitoring, numerical modeling and back-analyses.
- Maurer, Cristian. Multiscale modeling of crushable rockfill materials.
- Castro-Malaver, Carolina. Numerical investigation of fines content on liquefaction potential of mine tailings.
- Behlke, Florian. Co-disposal of Tailings and Waste Rock.
- Quiroz-Rojo, Paula. Scaling effects in Rockfill degradation using multi-scale DEM Modeling and Experiments.
Master (thesis) (1)
- El Gharroubi, Ihsane.

COMPLETED

Ph.D. Thesis (3)
- Girumugisha, G. (2025). Experimental study of small-scaling effects on the mechanical behavior of coarse granular materials [Ph.D. thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].
- Carrasco Cisterna, S. (2024). Numerical study of the effects of particle's geometric properties on the critical shear strength of granular materials. [Ph.D. thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].
- Majdanishabestari, K. (2023). Slope Stability Analysis of high Waste Rock Piles Constructed by Push/End Dumping Using 2D and 3D Fem Simulations [Ph.D. thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].
Post-doctoral fellowship (2)
- Cantor, David: Numerical and physical approaches of hydromechanical rockfill degradation
- Samy, Garcia Torres: Hydro-geotechnical behavior and physical stability of mining waste co-disposition in an open pit backfill
Master's Thesis (3)
- Hajji, L. (2026). Étude expérimentale de l'écoulement post-rupture d'une structure intégrale de la co-disposition totale des résidus miniers et roches stériles chimiquement non-réactifs [Master's thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].
- Msehli, I. (2026). Codisposition totale des résidus miniers et des roches stériles chimiquement non réactifs: Études théoriques et expérimentales pour éviter le mélange entre roches stériles déversées et résidus miniers [Master's thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].
- Vuilloz, T. (2022). Modélisation numérique des phénomènes de ségrégation et de stratification dans les haldes à stériles [Master's thesis, Polytechnique Montréal].

News about Carlos Ovalle

NEWS | September 4, 2020

Sustainable development in the mining sector: the Government of Québec helps fund six projects headed by Polytechnique professors | Read

Press review about Carlos Ovalle

January 21, 2026, Podcast Minier, Étudier en génie des mines : réalités, stages et perspectives Carlos Ovalle, professeur agrégé au Département des génies civil, géologique et des mines, et Amelia Parisel, étudiante en 3e année, discute de la nouvelle génération d’ingénieurs miniers.

May 27, 2025, La Presse, Industrie minière | Transformer les pratiques pour décarboner l’industrie Carlos Ovalle, professeur au Département des génies civil, géologique et des mines, travaille sur une nouvelle approche de gestion des rejets miniers appelée codéposition. Il propose une solution innovante pour réduire l’impact environnemental des déchets miniers, en misant sur la complémentarité physique de deux types de rejets et en visant une valorisation sécuritaire et durable.

Directory of Experts

Ovalle, Carlos

Directory of Experts

Ovalle, Carlos

Research interests and affiliations

Publications

Biography

Teaching

Education

Supervision at Polytechnique

IN PROGRESS

Post-doctoral fellowship (1)

Ph.D. (6)

Master (thesis) (1)

COMPLETED

Ph.D. Thesis (3)

Post-doctoral fellowship (2)

Master's Thesis (3)

News about Carlos Ovalle

Press review about Carlos Ovalle