11th International Conference on Stress Wave Theory and Design and Testing Methods for Deep Foundations

11^th International Conference on Stress Wave Theory and Design and Testing Methods for Deep Foundations. Including demonstration day.

The conference will cover the application of static and dynamic test methods to deep foundations, both driven and cast-in-place, offshore as well as onshore. Subject matters that will be covered include wave mechanics applications to foundations, high strain dynamic testing, low strain integrity testing, rapid load testing, static load testing (compression, tension as well as bi-directional), soil-structure interaction from dynamic, rapid and static testing, lateral testing, vibratory analysis and monitoring of piles and sheet piles, and pile installation effects and drivability in relation to soil investigation methods.

Today’s energy transition has changed our view on deep foundations. The drive to lower the cost of renewable energies has resulted in upscaling in volume and size. As an example in the wind industry the turbine size has grown from 2 MW in 2000 up to 12 MW in 2020. This increase in size, in combination with increasing water and installation depths, is also reflected in the size of the used foundations, wich in turn provides challenges to the installation methods.
The current diameter of the monopile foundation already reaches 9 meter, and diameters up to 12 meter shall be common in the very near future.

Maybe even more important now than ever before is that we strive to limit our impact on the world’s eco-system and environment. To protect the environment the industry is pushed to come up with foundation technologies that have a low environmental impact on emissions (CO2, NOx), and also generate low (underwater) noise levels. But as cities and urbanized areas around the world become more densely built and populated, not only emissions should be lowered but hindrance should be minimized as well to keep them livable. Therefore buildings in urbanized environment require foundation technologies that have a smaller footprint, and can be installed with lower displacements, noise and vibrations in the subsoil.

The conference shall cover the effects of the above mentioned global trends on the deep foundations and the applied installation technologies. The conference therefore shall discuss and demonstrate new installation technologies, soil investigation methods and other developments, and their effects (relation) on static and dynamic testing.