Synthesis and Outlook

As a result of the GeomInt research project (Chap. 1) a broad combined experimental and numerical platform for the investigation of discontinuities due to swelling and shrinking processes (WP1, Sect. 2.3), pressure-driven percolation (WP2, Sect. 2.4) and stress redistribution (WP3, Sect. 2.4) for important reservoir and barrier rocks (clay, salt, crystalline) has been developed. Model comparisons for damage and fracture processes driven by different processes provide information on the optimal areas of application of the numerical methods (Sect. 2.5).