About the Project
There are currently significant installation costs associated with future UK Round III windfarm developments, which will require foundation solutions that are highly efficient, quick to install and avoid noise and vibration (to avoid negative impacts on marine mammals).
One possible solution is to use steel screw piles that are commonly used onshore and scale them up for full scale offshore deployment. Unfortunately, though there are potentially significant issues with the torque requirements of these new large and specialist screw pile geometries, which mean accurate torque prediction models are required to feed into planning and design decisions such as at what water depth group deployment is preferable over large individual piles (group efficiency, coupled with more smaller piles resulting in lower installation torque requirements). These findings are transferable to other piling methods both onshore and offshore.
Research questions the project will attempt to address:
• Development of reliable torque requirement prediction tools for different pile geometries and soil conditions.
• Understanding the effect of group installation on both torque requirements and pile interaction efficiency.
• Develop the use of installation torque measurements as a site investigation/quality control tool to verify field conditions and allow instant efficiency though an observational approach to optimising pile length.
• Investigate novel solutions to torque reduction e.g. torque plus vibration installation.
Research methodology:
• Using the physical modelling and soil characterisation facilities as part of the ERDF-funded SMART Centre to investigate the effect of individual and group installation effects on torque requirements (with various controlling parameters studied).
• Further parametric investigation of group effects using existing 2D & 3D numerical (finite element) simulation.
This proposed project would expand the scope of existing EPSRC ORE funded research resulting in a multiplier on research output but also allow the flexible investigation of more speculative areas that may form the thrust of future research direction.
For information on Evaluation and Criteria Guidance, Funding and Eligibility & How to Apply please click here - https://www.findaphd.com/search/PhDDetails.aspx?CAID=3380
References
JEFFREY, J., BROWN, M.J., KNAPPETT, J.A., BALL, J. & CAUCIS, K. (2016) CHD pile performance, Part I: physical modelling. Proc. Inst. of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering Journal, Vol. 169, No. 5, pp. 421-435. DOI: 10.1680/jgeen.15.00131. ISSN 1353-2618. E-ISSN 1751-8563. Discussion: CUI, W., ZHENG, X., ZHANG, S. & ZHANG, Q. (2017) Discussion: CHD pile performance: part I – physical modelling. Proc. Inst. of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering Journal, Vol. *, No. *, pp. *. DOI: *. ISSN 1353-2618. E-ISSN 1751-8563. (In press)
KNAPPETT, J.A., CAUCIS, K., BROWN, M.J., JEFFREY, J. & BALL, J. (2016) CHD pile performance, Part II: numerical modelling. Proc. Inst. of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering Journal, Vol. 169, No. 5, pp. 436-454. DOI: 10.1680/jgeen.15.00132. ISSN 1353-2618. E-ISSN 1751-8563.
AL-BAGHDADI, T, BROWN, M.J., KNAPPETT, J. A. & HUMAISH, A. (2017) Effects of vertical loading on lateral screw pile performance. Proc. Inst. of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering Journal, Vol *, GE*. pp. *-*. DOI: *. ISSN 1353-2618. Themed issue 2017. Resubmitted 24/10/16. Accepted subject to minor revision 22/12/16. Resubmitted 09/01/17. In accepted in press 12/01/17.
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