The FEAR project spans six years, with a timescale dictated by the schedule of experiments in the Beretto tunnel and divided in three successive work phases.
The rock deformation laboratory experiments and development of numerical models proceed in parallel to and in coordination with the experiments in the Bedretto tunnel, with open communication and flow of information between the 3 work packages.
During the first phase of the FEAR project, stress measurements and characterization of the target fault system will be carried out. The detailed set-up for each of the four FEAR experiments will be finalized and the required equipment and instrumentation acquired and developed. In parallel, preparations for the experiments will commence at the Bedretto tunnel (tunneling activities, drilling and instrumentation of boreholes, development of real-time processing systems).