Closed-loop control of a nonlinear vibrator-profile system penetrating a heterogeneous ground

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Grabe
• Subject Area: Geotechnics, Hydraulic Engineering
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471875774

The objective of the research project is the development of a nonlinear closed-loop controller to optimize the vibrodriving process, minimizing the installation time and the vibrations transmitted to the surroundings. Therefore, a simplified nonlinear mechanical model describing the vibrator-pile-soil interaction will be developed and simulated. From the simplified mechanical model, a controller is derived and tested in simulation. The construction of an experimental set-up representing the vibrodriving process is planned. Corresponding model tests are used to test the derived controller for different soil conditions and pile profiles. Afterward, numerical simulations will be performed to assess the extension of the results in the model to real-life scenarios, and an extra degree of freedom considering the control of the eccentric moment is considered.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Belgium
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Rik Pintelon