ROBOCONE: Development of Horizontal Module

This project combines ground engineering with mechanical engineering and robotics to assist with the development of one of the three modular sections of ROBOCONE - A new, intelligent, robotic site investigation tool for smart in-situ mechanical characterisation of the ground. ROBOCONE is a cone shaped device consisting of three modular sections that are actuated once the cone has been pushed into the ground. These three modules each apply different kinematic mechanisms and strain histories to the soil that mimic stress paths expected from some complex geotechnical structures. The module under consideration in this project is a horizontally moving cylindrical section that imposes a lateral force to the soil, similar to those from structures such as laterally loaded piles or retaining walls.
This research project will be undertaken to assist and work alongside the newly funded EPSRC research project 'EPSRC-SFI: ROBOCONE: intelligent robotics for next generation ground investigation and design', reference 'EP/W006235/1'. This project falls within the EPSRC 'Engineering' research area with some additional themes from 'Artificial Intelligence and Robotics'.
Modern society demands more efficient infrastructure under stricter and more challenging operational and climatic conditions such as offshore energy structures in harsh environments and urban developments in overly congested areas. Loading conditions can be complex and time variant with soil mechanical properties varying spatially and temporally, making a whole life design approach for this infrastructure important. The Cone Penetration Test (CPT) has been the primary ground investigation method for soil characterisation over the past 50 years. CPT data is used in the design of many geotechnical structures, including some modern and complex ones such as laterally loaded piles. Currently in design practice, lateral load-displacement (p-y) springs are used to model soil response for this foundation type using correlations based on CPT data. This research project aims to develop a novel idea of complementing a CPT device with a new module capable of loading the soil horizontally so that monotonic and cyclic 'p-y' soil response can be directly measured in the field. The module will be able to mimic stress paths expected from real geotechnical infrastructure such as a laterally loaded pile which will also allow measurement of the whole design life evolution of soil 'p-y' response.
The extension of the kinematic range of in-situ geotechnical tests is a fairly modern development in ground investigation techniques. None of these however have considered the possibility to directly explore the horizontal 'p-y' soil resistance in the same way this ROBOCONE module will, directly mimicking the soil loading imposed by a laterally loaded pile.
The aims of this research project are to develop a design and assist with the manufacture of the horizontal module of ROBOCONE through robotic module prototyping. The project also has the objective of validation and testing of the horizontal module by performing both simple and complex tests in a range of soils. This experimental data will be used alongside Finite Element modelling to develop the theory of ROBOCONE. The aim of this is to devise methods to accurately obtain soil parameters using inverse analysis techniques or direct scaling from ROBOCONE data.
The research will be delivered through collaboration with two other main research groups, the University of Southampton in the UK and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Other project partners include: University of Western Australia, University of Bologna, University of California Davis, industrial leaders in site investigation (Fugro), robotic enterprises (Otherlab), geotechnical consultants (GDG, NGI), certification authorities (Lloyd's Register) and project owners (Orsted).