Soutenance de Thèse de Doctorat en “Civil engineering” par Mr. Nadir RIHANI

The Euromed University of Fes (UEMF) is pleased to inform the public of the doctoral thesis defense in Civil Engineering.

The thesis defense will take place on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM at UEMF.
Location: The Incubator's Main Hall (LOC001994)

The thesis will be presented by Mr. Nadir RIHANI.

under the topic:
“Study and Design of Biomimetic Micro-Architected Structures for 3DCP”

Summary:

The construction industry faces a dual challenge: the urgent need for greater material efficiency and the emergence of disruptive digital fabrication technologies like 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP). This thesis addresses this challenge by proposing a new design paradigm that synergizes biomimetic principles with additive manufacturing to create a new family of ultra-lightweight, micro-architected structures. The research establishes a comprehensive, multi-scale methodology for the design, characterization, and optimization of a biomimetic Micro-Architected Dome (MAD).

The workflow begins with the mathematical generation of the MAD, using a bottom-up approach based on a tetrapod unit cell that is duplicated and transformed through a series of parametric mappings to form a spherical lattice, optimized to match the surface-to-volume ratio of Schoen’s minimal gyroid. A deep mechanical characterization via Finite Element Analysis reveals the structure’s fundamental bending-dominant behavior through equivalent stiffness matrices and strain energy decomposition, and establishes crucial scaling laws for stress and displacement. Concurrently, an extensive experimental investigation is being conducted on a locally sourced, sustainable material—Benjellik marl clay—determining its rheological properties for printability and its mechanical evolution from fresh to dried states.

The synthesis of these digital and physical findings enables the creation of a generalized pre-design methodology using dimensionless scaling factors. This approach is employed for a complete verification of the structure according to Eurocode standards, demonstrating its structural viability under regulatory load combinations. The validation of Ultimate and Serviceability Limit States confirms the potential for real-world application of the concept.

This thesis provides a validated proof-of-concept, presenting not merely a structural design but a complete, reproducible methodology for creating efficient, architected forms. It demonstrates that the integration of biomimicry, digital design, mechanics, and sustainable material use paves the way for a new generation of resource-efficient, structurally optimized, and architecturally expressive constructions.

Keywords: Biomimicry, Micro-architected materials, Additive manufacturing, 3D Concrete Printing, Structural optimization, Domes, Finite Element Analysis, Sustainable construction.

This thesis will be presented to the jury members:

Full Name	Academic Rank	Institution	Role
Prof. SAFOUANE Abdellatif	Full Professor	UEMF	Jury Chair
Prof. CHAOUNI Abdelali	Full Professor	USMBA – FST	Reviewer
Prof. ABOUSSALEH Mohamed	Full Professor	ENSAM – Meknes	Reviewer
Prof. ZAGOUR Mohamed	Associate Professor	UEMF	Reviewer
Prof. EL HARROUNI Khalid	Full Professor	ENA – Rabat	Examiner
Prof. AALIL Issam	Associate Professor	ENSAM – Meknes	Examiner
Prof. BENMOUSSA Othmane	Associate Professor	UEMF	Thesis Director
Prof. EL JAI Mostapha	Associate Professor	UEMF	Thesis Co-Director
Prof. AKHRIF Iatimad	Associate Professor	UEMF	Thesis Co-Director