The Board of KIVI Geotechnical Division is organising a lecture evening on 12 December next:

Centrifuge modelling of offshore wind turbine foundations by Dr Amin Askarinejad, associate professor of experimental Soil Mechanics, TU Delft

Monopiles are used as foundations for more than 85% of offshore wind turbines. However, there are some uncertainties regarding the behaviour of these large-diameter rigid piles that are subjected to large overturning cyclic moments. The design codes for these foundations are mainly based on slender piles typically used for offshore oil and gas installations. This talk will present lessons learned from an ongoing research programme on the physical modelling of offshore wind turbine foundations.

Recent advances in the material point method in Geo-engineering by Phil Vardon, Associate Professor of Soil Mechanics, TU Delft

The material point method (MPM) promises to be able to simulate large deformations, such as slope failure, throughout the process. This is a significant advance over other numerical methods, such as the finite element method (FEM), in which only the onset of failure can be predicted. Despite promising early results, a number of problems have still occurred that affect the accuracy of the method. This lecture will present recent advances to address these issues, alongside geotechnical examples to demonstrate their performance.

Research programme on self-healing processes in clay by Anne-Catherine Dieudonné, Associate Professor of Engineering Geology, TU Delft

The safety, durability and efficiency of many geotechnical structures depend heavily on the performance of clays, which are used as natural or engineering barriers to limit fluid flow and contaminant transport. While much research has been done to study crack initiation and extension, laboratory and field tests have also shown that cracks and fractures in clays can naturally close and the material can partially restore its intact properties. A property known as self-healing. In this lecture, I will present a new research programme launched at TU Delft to investigate the fundamental mechanisms responsible for self-repair of clays. Challenges and possible solutions in both experimental testing and modelling at different scales will be reviewed.

Research on monopiles using the geotechnical centrifuge by Ir. Tristan Quinten

This lecture will focus on the research Tristan conducted for his master thesis on improving the pileability of monopiles for applications in the offshore industry. For the research, an existing geotechnical centrifuge test rig was revised and equipped with new measuring equipment. Through a series of centrifuge experiments, the operation of the test rig was verified and the development pore pressures in the surrounding soil body during the piling process were examined.

Programme:

16:45 walk-in - room G

17:00 Dr Amin Askerinejad, associate professor of experimental soil mechanics, TU Delft - Centrifuge modelling of offshore wind turbine foundations

17:35 Phil Vardon, associate professor of soil mechanics, TU Delft - Recent advances in the material point method in geoengineering

18:10 dinner

18:40 Anne-Catherine Dieudonne, associate professor of engineering geology, TU Delft - Research programme on self-healing processes in clay

19:15 Ir. Tristan Quinten - Research on monopiles using the geotechnical centrifuge.

19:50 Drinks

All lectures are in English.

Participation is free for KIVI members and students and costs €25.00 for others (including 2 month donor membership). A bread meal will be served.