Dr. David Igoe

• Xue J, Gavin K, Murphy G, Doherty P, Igoe D, Optimization technique to determine the p-y curves of laterally loaded stiff piles in dense sand, Geotechnical Testing Journal, 39, (5), 2016, p842 - 854Journal Article, 2016, DOI , URL
• Li W, Igoe D, Gavin K, Field tests to investigate the cyclic response of monopiles in sand, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 168, (5), 2015, p407 - 421Journal Article, 2015, DOI , URL
• Byrne B.W, McAdam R, Burd H.J, Houlsby G.T, Martin C.M, ZdravkoviÄ L, Taborda D.M.G, Potts D.M, Jardine R.J, Sideri M, Schroeder F.C, Gavin K, Doherty P, Igoe D, Muirwood A, Kallehave D, Skov Gretlund J, New design methods for large diameter piles under lateral loading for offshore wind applications, Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics III - Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, ISFOG 2015, 2015, 2015, pp705 - 710Conference Paper, 2015, URL
• Byrne B.W, Mcadam R.A, Burd H.J, Houlsby G.T, Martin C.M, Gavin K, Doherty P, Igoe D, Zdravkovic L, Taborda D.M.G, Potts D.M, Jardine R.J, Sideri M, Schroeder F.C, Wood A.M, Kallehave D, Gretlund J.S, Field testing of large diameter piles under lateral loading for offshore wind applications, Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development - Proceedings of the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, ECSMGE 2015, 2015, 3, 2015, pp1255 - 1260Conference Paper, 2015, URL
• Doherty P, Igoe D, Murphy G, Gavin K, Preston J, McAvoy C, Byrne B.W, McAdam R, Burd H.J, Houlsby G.T, Martin C.M, ZdravkovicÂ" L, Taborda D.M, Potts D.M, Jardine R.J, Sideri M, Schroeder F.C, Muir Wood A, Kallehave D, Skov Gretlund J, Field validation of fibre bragg grating sensors for measuring strain on driven steel piles, Geotechnique Letters, 5, (2), 2015, p74 - 79Journal Article, 2015, DOI , URL
• ZdravkoviÄ L, Taborda D.M.G, Potts D.M, Jardine R.J, Sideri M, Schroeder F.C, Byrne B.W, McAdam R, Burd H.J, Houlsby G.T, Martin C.M, Gavin K, Doherty P, Igoe D, Muirwood A, Kallehave D, Skov Gretlund J, Numerical modelling of large diameter piles under lateral loading for offshore wind applications, Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics III - Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, ISFOG 2015, 2015, 2015, pp759 - 764Conference Paper, 2015, URL
• Igoe D, Spagnoli G, Doherty P, Weixler L, Design of a novel drilled-and-grouted pile in sand for offshore oil&gas structures, Marine Structures, 39, 2014, p39 - 49Journal Article, 2014, DOI , URL
• Li W, Igoe D, Gavin K, Evaluation of cpt-based p-y models for laterally loaded piles in siliceous sand, Geotechnique Letters, 4, (April-June), 2014, p110 - 117Journal Article, 2014, DOI , URL
• Li W, Gavin K, Igoe D, Doherty P, Review of design models for lateral cyclic loading of monopiles in sand, Physical Modelling in Geotechnics - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics 2014, ICPMG 2014, 2014, 2, 2014, pp819 - 825Conference Paper, 2014, URL
• Igoe D, Gavin K, Kirwan L, Investigation into the factors affecting the shaft resistance of driven piles in sands, Installation Effects in Geotechnical Engineering - Proceedings of the International Conference on Installation Effects in Geotechnical Engineering, ICIEGE 2013, 2013, 2013, pp252 - 257Conference Paper, 2013, URL
• Gavin K.G, Igoe D.J.P, Kirwan L, The effect of ageing on the axial capacity of piles in sand, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 166, (2), 2013, p122 - 130Journal Article, 2013, DOI , URL
• Gavin K, Igoe D, Doherty P, Piles for offshore wind turbines: A state-of-the-art review, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 164, (4), 2011, p245 - 256Journal Article, 2011, DOI , URL
• Igoe D, Doherty P, Gavin K, The development and testing of an instrumented open-ended model pile, Geotechnical Testing Journal, 33, (1), 2010Journal Article, 2010, DOI , URL
• Doherty, P., Igoe, D. , A driveability study of precast concrete piles in dense sand, The Journal of the Deep Foundations Institute, 7, (2), 2013, p3 - 16Journal Article, 2013, URL
• Prendergast, L.J., Gavin, K.G., Igoe, D., Dynamic soil-structure interaction modeling using stiffness derived from in-situ Cone Penetration Tests, 3rd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing, Las Vegas, May , 2014, pp773-780Conference Paper, 2014, TARA - Full Text
• Byrne, B.W., McAdam, R.A., Burd, H.J., Houlsby, G.T., Martin, C.M., Beuckelaers, W.J.A.P., Zdravkovic, L., Taborda, D.M.G., Potts, D.M., Jardine, R.J., Ushev, E., Liu T., Abadias, D., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Doherty, P., Skov Gretlund, J., Pacheco Andrade, M., Muir Wood, A., Design Aspects for Monopile Foundations, Proceeding of the 19th ICSMGE, , Seoul, September 2017, 2017Conference Paper, 2017
• Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Sorenson, K., Huybrechts, N., Research and Development Activities on Pile Foundations in Europe, ISSMGE - ETC 3 International Symposium on Design of Piles in Europe. Brussels 28 & 29 April 2016, 2016Conference Paper, 2016
• Igoe, D., Pile Design Practice in Ireland, ETC 3 International Symposium on Design of Piles in Europe, , Brussels , 28 & 29 Apr, 2016Conference Paper, 2016
• Igoe, D., Kirwan, L., Gavin, K.G., Ageing effects and CPT based design methods for driven piles in sands., 3rd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing, , Las Vegas, Nevada., 2014Conference Paper, 2014, TARA - Full Text
• Igoe, D., Gavin, K.G., Impact of number of load cycles on the shaft resistance of piles in sand., 3rd International Press-in Association (IPA) international workshop, Singapore, 2012Conference Paper, 2012
• Doherty, P., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Dynamic analysis of pile driving in dense sand., Proceedings of the Bridge and Concrete Research in Ireland (BCRI), Dublin, 2012Conference Paper, 2012
• Igoe, D., The effect of plugging on the shaft resistance of a jacked pipe pile in loose sand, International Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference, Alexandria, Egypt, 2009Conference Paper, 2009
• Doherty, P., Igoe, D., Gavin, K.G, Instrumented static pile load testing - Field procedures, data interpretation and recent developments, Bridge and Concrete Research in Ireland, Cork, Ireland, 2006Conference Paper, 2006
• Murphy, G. Igoe, D. Doherty, P. Gavin, K.G., 3D FEM approach for laterally loaded monopile design, Computers and Geotechnics, 100, 2018, p76-83Journal Article, 2018
• 5. Byrne, B.W., McAdam, R.A., Burd, H.J., Houlsby, G.T., Martin, C.M., Beuckelaers, W.J.A.P., Zdravkovic,L. Taborda, D.M.G, Potts, D.M., Jardine, R.J., Ushev, E., Liu, T., Abadias, D., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Doherty, P., Skov Gretlund,J., Pacheco Andrade, M., Muir Wood, A., Schroeder, F.C., Turner, S., Plummer, M.A.L. , PISA: New Design Methods for Offshore Wind Turbine Monopiles, Proceeding of the Offshore Site Investigation & Geotechnics (OSIG) Conference, SUT London, September 2017, 2017Conference Paper, 2017, TARA - Full Text
• Igoe, D., Prendergast, L.J., Fitzgerald, B., Sarkar, S. , Numerical modelling of a monopile for estimating the natural frequency of an offshore wind turbine, China-Europe Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, Vienna, Austria, 13-16 August 2018, 2018Conference Paper, 2018
• Igoe. D, Fitzgerald, B., Sarkar, S., Monopile soil-structure interaction for estimating the dynamic response of an offshore wind turbine, Proceedings of Civil Engineering Research in Ireland,, Dublin, Ireland, August 2018, 2018Conference Paper, 2018
• Malekjafarian, A., Jalilvand, S., Igoe, D., Doherty, P., , Dynamic modelling of soil structure interaction for the design of offshore wind turbines, Wind Energy Science, Cork, Ireland, June 2019, 2019Conference Paper, 2019
• Malekjafarian, A., Jalilvand, S., Igoe, D., Doherty, P., , On the estimation of foundation damping of mono pile-supported offshore wind turbines, Proceedings of the 37th International JVE Conference , Bratislava, 25-26th April, 2019Conference Paper, 2019
• McAdam, R.A., Byrne, B.W., Houlsby, G.T., Beuckelaers, W.J.A.P., Burd, H.J., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Jardine, R.J., Martin, C.M., Muir Wood, A., Potts, D.M., Skov Gretlund, J., Taborda, D.M.G. and Zdravkovicì, L., Potts, D.M., Skov Gretlund, J., Ushev, E. , Monotonic lateral loaded pile testing in a dense sand at Dunkirk, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p986 - 998Journal Article, 2020
• Byrne, B.W., McAdam, R.A., Burd, H.J., Beuckelaers, W.J.A.P., Gavin, K., Houlsby, G.T., Igoe, D., Jardine, R.J., Martin, C.M., Muir Wood, A., Potts, D.M., Skov Gretlund, J., Taborda, D.M.G. and Zdravkovicì, L. , Monotonic lateral loaded pile testing in a stiff overconsolidated clay at Cowden, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p970 - 985Journal Article, 2020
• Burd, H.J., Beuckelaers, W.J.A.P., Byrne, B.W., Gavin, K., Houlsby, G.T., Igoe, D., Jardine, R.J., Martin, C.M., McAdam, R.A., Muir Wood, A., Potts, D.M., Skov Gretlund, J., Taborda, D.M.G. and Zdravkovicì, L. , New data analysis methods for instrumented monopile field tests, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p961 - 969Journal Article, 2020
• Zdravkovic, L., Jardine, R.J., Taborda, D.M.G., Burd, H.J., Byrne, B.W., Gavin, K., Houlsby, G.T., Igoe, D., Liu, T., Martin, C.M., McAdam, R.A., Muir Wood, A., Ground Characterisation for PISA pile testing and analysis, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p945 - 960Journal Article, 2020
• Byrne, B.W., Houlsby, G.T., Burd, H.J., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Jardine, R.J., Martin, C.M., McAdam, R.A., Potts, D.M., Taborda, D.M.G. and Zdravkovicì, L., , PISA Design Model for Monopiles for Offshore Wind Turbines: Application to a Stiff Glacial Clay Till, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p1030 - 1047Journal Article, 2020
• Burd, H.J., Taborda, D.M.G., Zdravkovicì, L., Byrne, B.W., Houlsby, G.T., Gavin, K., Igoe, D., Jardine, R.J., Martin, C.M., McAdam, R.A., Potts, D.M., PISA Design Model for Monopiles for Offshore Wind Turbines, Geotechnique, 70, (11), 2020, p1048 - 1066Journal Article, 2020
• Igoe, D. and Gavin, K.G., , Characterization of the Blessington Sand Geotechnical Test Site, AIMS Geosciences, 5, (2), 2019, p145 - 162Journal Article, 2019
• Igoe, D., Gavin, K. G., Gallagher, D., & O'Kelly, B. C. , Base resistance of open-ended piles, 3rd National Symposium on Bridge and Infrastructure Research in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, 2006Conference Paper, 2006
• Gavin, K.G., Kovacevic, M.S., Igoe, D., , A review of CPT based axial pile design in the Netherlands, Underground Space, 2019, p10.1016/j.undsp.2019.09.004Journal Article, 2019
• Gavin, K.G. and Igoe, D. , A field investigation into the mechanisms of pile ageing in sand, Geotechnique, 71, (2), 2021, p120 - 131Journal Article, 2021, TARA - Full Text
• Fitzgerald, B., Igoe, D., A Comparison of Soil Structure Interaction Models for Dynamic Analysis of Offshore Wind Turbines, The Science of Making Torque from Wind (TORQUE 2020), Delft, the Netherlands, 2020Conference Paper, 2020, DOI , TARA - Full Text
• Igoe, D., Gavin, K.G., , An investigation in axial cyclic loading on aged piles in sand, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (ASCE), 147, (4), 2021Journal Article, 2021, TARA - Full Text
• Malekjafarian, A., Jalilvand, S., Doherty, P., Igoe, D.,, Foundation damping for offshore wind turbines on monopile supports: a review, Marine Structures, 77, 2021, p102937Journal Article, 2021, TARA - Full Text
• Lapastoure, L. and Igoe, D, A comparison of soil lateral reaction models for monopile design in clay, Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Sydney, edited by ISSMGE , 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Lapastoure, L. and Igoe, D., 3DFE derivation of CPT based soil reaction curves for monopile lateral static design in sand, 5th International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing (CPT22), Bologna, 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Igoe, D. and Barzan, M., Application of CPT based 3DFE approach for estimating monopile damping in sand, 5th International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing (CPT22), Bologna, 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Kirwan, L., Igoe, D., & Gavin, K. G. , Development of instrumented piles to investigate pile ageing, Bridge and Concrete Research in Ireland, Dublin, 2012Conference Paper, 2012
• Luke Prendergast and David Igoe, Examination of the reduction in natural frequency of laterally loaded piles due to strain-dependence of soil shear modulus, Ocean Engineering, 258, (Article 111614), 2022Journal Article, 2022, TARA - Full Text
• Diambra, A., White, D., Creasey, J., Cerfontaine, B., Gourvenec, S., Leonet, J., Conn, A., Igoe, D., Ibraim, E., Mylonakis, G., A new module for direct in-situ measurement of p-y response, 5th International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing (CPT22), Bologna, Italy, 8-10 June, 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Lehane, B., Igoe, D., Gavin, K., & Marin, E. B. , Keynote: Application of the Unified CPT method to assess the driving resistance of pipe piles in sand, Stress Wave 2022, Delft, Netherlands, Sep 2022, 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Lapastoure, L. and Igoe, D. , Implementation of PISA numerical framework for offshore wind foundation design, Civil Engineering Research in Ireland (CERI) conference, Dublin, Aug 2022, 2022Conference Paper, 2022
• Lapastoure, L. and Jalilvand, S., Diambra, A. and Igoe, D. , Review of cyclic models for the design of monopiles supporting offshore wind turbines, Geotechnical Society of Ireland Conference, Port Laois, 2022, pp43-52Conference Paper, 2022
• Varghese, R., Pakrashi, V. and Igoe, D. , A review of anchoring solutions for offshore wind turbines, Geotechnical Society of Ireland Conference, Port Laois, 2022, pp79 - 84Conference Paper, 2022
• Igoe, D., Lapastoure, L. and Jalilvand, S. , Comparison of geotechnical design criteria for offshore monopiles, Geotechnical Society of Ireland Conference, Port Laois, Ireland, 2022, pp37-42Conference Paper, 2022
• Igoe D.J.P., Gavin K.G. and O'Kelly B.C., Field measurements of the base resistance of pipe piles in medium dense sand, Proceedings of the Second BGA International Conference on Foundations (ICOF 2008), Dundee, Scotland, 24-27 June 2008, edited by Brown M.J., Bransby M.F., Brennan A.J. and Knappett J.A. , 1, 2008, pp149 - 158Conference Paper, 2008, TARA - Full Text
• Igoe D., Gavin K. and O'Kelly B., Field tests using an instrumented model pipe pile in sand, Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG 2010), Zurich, Switzerland, 28 Jun - 1 Jul 2010, edited by Springman S., Laue J. and Seward L. , 2010, pp775 - 780Conference Paper, 2010, URL , TARA - Full Text
• Igoe D.J.P., Gavin K.G. and O'Kelly B.C., Shaft capacity of open-ended piles in sand, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 137, (10), 2011, p903 - 913Journal Article, 2011, DOI , TARA - Full Text
• Igoe D.J.P., Gavin K.G., O'Kelly B.C. and Byrne B., The use of in-situ site investigation techniques for the axial design of offshore piles, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization (ISC'4), Pernambuco, Brazil, 18-21 Sept 2012, edited by Coutinho R.Q. and Mayne P.W. , 2, Taylor & Francis, 2012, pp1123 - 1129Conference Paper, 2012, DOI , URL , TARA - Full Text
• Doherty P., Kirwan L., Gavin K., Igoe D., Tyrrell S., Ward D., and O'Kelly B., Soil properties at the UCD geotechnical research site at Blessington, Proceedings of the Bridge and Concrete Research in Ireland Conference (BCRI 2012), Dublin, Ireland, 6-7 Sept 2012, 1, 2012, pp499 - 504Conference Paper, 2012, URL , TARA - Full Text
• Igoe D., Gavin K. and O'Kelly B., An investigation into the use of push-in pile foundations by the offshore wind sector, International Journal of Environmental Studies., 70, (5), 2013, p777 - 791Journal Article, 2013, DOI , URL , TARA - Full Text

My research interests are mainly focused on Geotechnical and Offshore Engineering where I lead the offshore geotechnics research group which is focused on solving the technical challenges in offshore wind energy (aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13). I am actively involved in driving innovation within the geotechnical engineering community through advancements in fundamental understanding of soil behaviour, numerical modelling and experimental testing. My research has had a significant impact on the offshore wind industry, helping to reduce the costs and increase economic viability. I was a key contributor to the UK Carbon Trust Pile Soil Analysis (PISA) project, which developed new design methods for offshore wind foundations. The PISA design model is now the de-facto design approach used by engineers designing offshore wind foundations worldwide. This new approach is estimated to save ~30% of steel weight compared to the previous industry standard approach. The PISA project won the prestigious BGA Fleming Award and was recognised by the Carbon Trust as one of the 10 most high impact projects undertaken in the last 10 years by the Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) program (which estimates its projects have resulted in £34 Billion cost savings for the offshore wind industry by 2030). I am currently collaborating with the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Southampton, Western Australia, Imperial College London, TU Delft. Geotechnical Engineering is historically poorly funded. Prior to my joining TCD, there had been no large grants (€150k) won in this area in the previous 10 years. By harnessing my expertise in offshore geotechnics and targeting research funding supporting the Renewable Energy transition, I have managed to bring in significant research funding of €1.14 million to TCD in the past 3 years (with total consortium funding €3 million), funded by SFI, SEAI, IRC and Geological Survey Ireland. In 2021 I joined the SFI ICRAG research centre as a funded Investigator where I was recently awarded funding of €170k. The program for government (2020) has targeted 5GW of offshore wind to be developed by 2030 which will require an investment of ~10 Billion. I have made this area one of the hot topics within the department and I will continue to grow my research group to position Trinity as Irelands leading University supporting Offshore Wind Geotechnics.

• Title

  Development of damping parameters for Irish Offshore Wind Farms
  Summary

  In order to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions targets set out in the Paris agreement, Ireland will need to significantly decarbonise its energy supply. Due to reducing costs, offshore wind now offers the most viable means for large scale decarbonisation of Irelands electricity supply by 2030. It is predicted that the offshore wind installation rate in Europe will increase 400% resulting in an industry worth more than €20 Billion per year in Europe alone [1]. In Ireland, it is estimated that 1.8GW of offshore wind capacity at an estimated cost of ~€4.5 billion, will be installed by 2030 [1]. One of the key challenges in the engineering design of an Offshore Wind Turbine (OWT) relates to choosing appropriate values for damping of the OWT structure. Choosing more realistic values of damping in design can lead to significant reductions in the calculated loads acting on the structure, and also large reductions in fatigue damage, which can lead to savings of up to 10% in steel weight across the structure [2]. In the Irish context this would equate to potential cost savings of ~€230m by 2030 (assuming 1.8GW of offshore wind is developed) and in excess of €1 billion per year across Europe. The primary goal of this project is to advance the scientific knowledge of OWT damping and provide accurate and realistic damping values for use in the design of Irish offshore wind farms, specific to soil types and conditions relevant for potential offshore wind development zones around Ireland.
  Funding Agency

  Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
  Date From

  01/01/2020
  Date To

  31/12/2022
• Title

  Optimisation of XL Monopiles supporting offshore wind turbines through advanced numerical modelling of cyclic loading effects
  Summary

  The European Union (EU) has established ambitious renewable energy targets in order to de-carbonise the energy sector. In Ireland, it is estimated that 2.3GW of offshore wind capacity will be installed by 2030 at an estimated cost of €6 billion. The foundations for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) can represent up to 30% of the overall cost of development. Among all components of an OWT structure, the foundations offer the greatest scope for optimisation. Monopile foundations, which are large diameter (typically 4 - 8m) steel tubes driven into the ground, represent around 80% of all offshore wind turbine foundations installed to date and will continue to the be the most common foundation solution for offshore wind for at least the next 15 years [1]. As larger wind turbines are being developed, XL monopiles from 8 - 12m in diameter are needed to be support these. These larger diameter piles typically have a lower slenderness (ratio of length to diameter) than standard monopiles and are therefore significantly more susceptible to the effects of cyclic loading. Because of inadequate understanding of the effects of cyclic loading, XL monopiles are currently over-designed, causing excessive manufacturing, transportation and installation costs. This project aims to improve design methods for cyclic loading effects on XL monopiles through state of the art numerical modelling and calibration against new field test data, and will lead to significant advances in scientific knowledge and improvements in the design efficiency of OWTs. Specifically this will build upon recent advances in the state of the art in numerical modelling of monopiles and a will be validated against recent monopile field test data. The ultimate goal is to reduce cost and improve the viability of the offshore energy, leading to a more rapid reduction in carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.
  Funding Agency

  Irish Research Council
  Date From

  01/09/2019
  Date To

  31/08/2023
• Title

  Pile Ageing study for offshore wind applications
  Summary

  In order to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions targets set out in the Paris agreement, Ireland will need to significantly decarbonise its energy supply. Due to reducing costs, offshore wind now offers the most viable means for large scale decarbonisation of Irelands electricity supply by 2030. The new program for government 2020 has targeted 5GW of offshore wind capacity to be installed by 2030 at an estimated cost of more than €10 billion. At the end of 2019 there was 22 GW of offshore wind installed in Europe, mainly in areas near shore with favourable shallow water conditions. The foundations of an offshore wind turbine can represent up to 25% of the overall cost of development and more than 90% of offshore wind turbines installed to date are fixed to the seabed using steel piled foundations. This project aims to investigate pile ageing effects, one of the key challenges facing offshore foundation designers. This will be achieved through a combination of novel field and laboratory testing, and will lead to significant advances in scientific knowledge in Geotechnical Engineering and improvements in the design efficiency of Offshore Renewables.
  Funding Agency

  Geological Survey Ireland
  Date From

  01 Jan 2021
  Date To

  28 Feb 2022
• Title

  Towards the development of new analysis methods to improve the safety and resilience of Ireland's flood defence infrastructure in the face of climate change
  Summary

  The impact of flooding in Europe has increased over the past 50 years, which is directly attributed to climate change. Due to its geographical position and features, Ireland is especially vulnerable to extreme flooding caused by global warming. The probability of occurrence of these extreme events is increasing and climate disruption will add to the magnitude of such events. Across Britain and Ireland, the magnitudes have been increasing at a rate of approximately five per cent per decade since the 1960s. Flood defence infrastructure built during the 1960s in Ireland is no longer sufficiently resilient to withstand the magnitude of flooding now predicted for vulnerable areas. As a result, there is an urgent need for identifying upgrades for existing flood defence infrastructure in addition to the development of new infrastructure. Typically flood defence infrastructure consist of primarily earth embankments, cuttings, dams, dykes and retaining walls, which are underpinned by Geotechnical Engineering (the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behaviour of earth materials, i.e. soils and rock). Increases in the intensity of rainfall events in recent years have led to a rise in the number of slope failures, and many areas benefitting from flood defence infrastructure are at risk from climate change induced flooding. It is therefore essential to efficiently indentify and allocate resources to the infrastructure which are at highest risk of failure. The proposed research aims to back-analyse industry geotechnical data to better understand the design efficiency, safety and resilience of our flood defence infrastructure in the face of climate change. In order to determine the appropriate risk-reduction measures and cost-effectiveness, the project aims to develop a risk framework to quantify the costs of climate change impact and will include the development of a decision support tool for upgrading and maintenance of Ireland's flood defence infrastructure.
  Funding Agency

  Irish Research Council
  Date From

  01/09/2021
  Date To

  31/08/2025
• Title

  EPSRC-SFI: ROBOCONE: intelligent robotics for next generation ground investigation and design
  Summary

  Geotechnical infrastructure fundamentally underpins the transport, energy and utility networks of our society. The design of this infrastructure faces increasing challenges related to construction in harsher or more complex environments and stricter operating conditions. Modern design approaches recognise that the strength and stiffness of ground, and therefore the safety and resilience of our infrastructure, changes through time under the exposure to in-service loading - whether from trains, traffic, waves, currents, seasonal moisture cycles, redevelopment of built structures or nearby construction in congested urban areas. However, advances in geotechnical analysis methods have not been matched by better tools to probe and test the ground in situ, in a way that represents realistic real-world loading conditions. This research will improve current geotechnical site investigation practice by developing ROBOCONE - a new site investigation tool for intelligent ground characterisation - and its interpretative theoretical framework - from data to design. ROBOCONE will combine modern technologies in robotic control and sensor miniaturisation with new theoretical analyses of soil-structure interaction. Breaking free from the kinematic constraints of conventional site investigation tools, ROBOCONE will feature three modular sections which can be remotely actuated and controlled to impose horizontal, vertical and torsional kinematic mechanisms in the ground closely mimicking loading and deformation histories experienced during the entire lifespan of a geotechnical infrastructure. The device development will be supported by new theoretical approaches to interpret ROBOCONE's data to provide objective and reliable geotechnical parameters, ready for use in the modern "whole-life" design of infrastructure. This research will provide a paradigm shift in equipment for in situ ground characterisation. ROBOCONE will enable the cost-effective and reliable characterisation of advanced soil properties and their changes with time directly in-situ, minimising the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory investigations, which are invariably affected by sampling and testing limitations. Geotechnical in-situ characterisation will be brought into step with modern, resilient and optimised geotechnical design approaches.
  Funding Agency

  Science Foundation Ireland
  Date From

  01/06/2022
  Date To

  31/05/2025

Geoinformatics, Electrical engineering, Oceanography,

• Fleming Award -Excellence in the application of geotechnics in a project, Awarded to the PISA project, British Geotechnical Association Oct 2017
• Marine Industry Awards - Overall Award for Marine Excellence - accepted award as head of offshore engineering on behalf of GDG (prior to joining TCD) June 2017
• Geotechnical Trust Fund Award, Engineers Ireland July 2008
• Science Foundation Ireland EPSRC-SFI Grant - Principal Investigator Dec 2021
• Best Paper Award at the Civil Engineering Research in Ireland (CERI) conference August 2022
• British Geotechnical Association - Gold Medal for best paper of 2020 2020
• International Young Geotechnical Engineer Conference Award, Engineers Ireland Aug 2009
• MCOS (RPS) Postgraduate Scholarship, MCOS (RPS) Sep 2006
• Marine Industry Awards - Award for Best Professional Services - accepted award as head of offshore engineering on behalf of GDG (prior to joining TCD) June 2017
• Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland - Research, Development and Demonstration Funding Programme Grant - Principal Investigator 2019

• Chartered Member of Engineers Ireland, CEng
• Engineers Ireland Geotechnical Society - Secretary and vice chair Present

• PhD Extenternal Examiner for the University of Western Australia 22nd August 2022
• SC7 - Eurocode 7 Committee member for the National Standards Authority of Ireland. Leader of sub-committee BG2 on design examples. 01/09/2017
• Committee member of the Engineers Ireland Geotechnical Society 01/09/2017
• Secretary and Vice Chair of the Engineers Ireland Geotechnical Society April 2021