About the project
Develop new technology that brings robotics to civil engineering, to improve ground characterisation methods. Your research project will focus on new robotic tools for investigating ground conditions at sites to meet these challenges.
To decarbonise our energy supply and maintain the resilience of infrastructure, offshore and onshore, we need to rapidly build wind energy capacity and develop better ways to assess the condition of earthworks and foundation soils. You will undertake numerical modelling and experimental work, in the laboratory and the field.
Your work will combine new robotic devices and novel testing protocols, aiming to better determine the ground parameters needed for design.
The project approach is firstly to piggyback new modules onto the conventional Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT), progressively building out into other novel device types. An aim of the new tools is to capture ‘whole-life’ geotechnical behaviour.
You will:
- benefit from your supervision team’s expertise in numerical modelling, geotechnical physical testing and in situ test design
- have a strong platform to develop into a future leader in site investigation technology, supporting the growth of wind energy capacity
- join the Centre of Excellence for Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering (IROE) supported through the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies scheme
- have access to the EPSRC Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub
- develop your engineering skills in geomechanics and collaborate with the ROBOCONE industry partners
- be based in the National Infrastructure Laboratory on the Boldrewood Innovation Campus
