Enhancing Pile Drivability and Decommissioning in Chalk: An Experimental and Micromechanical Study

In this PhD project, the installation effects of pile driving in Chalk will be addressed experimentally and numerically. Standard geomechanical tests and centrifuge physical models of driven piles will be designed and used to identify the damage processes occurring at the chalk pile interface. Attention will also be placed on the pull-out phase to estimate extraction loads for design of safe extraction techniques. Following [3] these experiments will be simulated numerically by means of the discrete element model (DEM). The SMART-MicroCT (ERDF SMART Centre) scanner will be used to visualize and quantify rock damage during pile installation.

The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by Dr Matteo Ciantia and Dr Michael Brown at the University of Dundee. Additional project supervision is provided externally by Dr Marcos Arroyo & Prof. Antonio Gens of UPC, Barcelona. The candidate will hence have the opportunity to undergo part of his PhD in Barcelona. Some experience in either experimental geomechanics, the discrete element method (DEM), FE numerical modelling or programming is highly desirable.