2025 Geotech Call for Abstracts

Innovations in design and construction risk management

• Advancements in site investigation techniques
• Innovations in geotechnical soil testing
• New approaches to assessing geotechnical risks
• Smart data usage in design
• Optimising foundation design using advanced geotechnical data
• Advances in geotechnical modelling

Advancements in construction approaches and project delivery

• Innovative ground improvement techniques
• Use of robotics and automation
• Sustainable and resilient construction practices
• Innovation or new technologies in plant or piling equipment

Extending asset life and efficient maintenance

• Advances in remote sensing and geotechnical monitoring
• AI and data-driven decision-making for risk management
• Sustainable engineering techniques for slope stabilisation
• Case studies: Lessons learned from recent projects
• Regulatory considerations and industry best practices

Much of the UK’s overhead power lines cross some of the most remote parts of the country. With the push for increased reliance on renewable energy the distribution of electricity from remote on and offshore is as critical as it has ever been. This requires the upgrade and construction of new powerline and underground cale routes. CGL have worked with our clients across Scotland and have provided an innovative monitoring solution. This provides an efficient, accurate and consistent slope stability monitoring across these schemes. The techniques deployed to inform the assessment of geotechnical, slope stability and landslide hazards include derivations of LiDAR data and the use of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). The outputs of modelling these elements identifies areas which pose a high risk to infrastructure from slope instability, and informs the requirement for monitoring. To monitor slope movements the use of InSAR has proven itself to be invaluable. The ability to utilise repeat cycles of S- and L-Band InSAR for the assessment of ground movement in remote landscapes with millimetre accuracy further refines initial assessments and can highlight areas where ground conditions pose an ongoing risk to infrastructure. The effects of construction activities and any mitigation measures can be monitored on a site wide scale without the need for costly and installation of equipment. CGL have produced a catalogue of case studies using S- an L-band InSAR data in conjunction with LiDAR modelling to provide contextual remote monitoring of natural slopes and remote infrastructure. The case studies highlighted for presentation include roadway stability and overhead power line route landslide hazard studies.

This presentation will investigate the potential of telemetry data from Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piling operations to enhance stratigraphic profiling and optimise efficient pile installation. Currently, rig telemetry systems are limited to verifying parameters like pile length and concrete volume. However, torque, penetration rate, and crowd force data can provide valuable insights into subsurface transitions, enabling real-time decision-making during pile installation.

Using machine learning techniques, including supervised and unsupervised learning models, the research analyses extensive telemetry datasets to identify rock levels for end-bearing piles founded in rock. Advanced processing methods, such as the random forest classifier algorithm and K-means clustering, are applied to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of detecting geological layers. Statistical methods are used to provide specific boundary detection between layers. Spatial smoothing is used to detect anomalies that could pose a risk of drilling piles short or excessively long. The findings suggest the practical benefits of telemetry-based stratigraphic profiling for foundation design and construction. Precise identification of rock levels can reduce overly conservative design assumptions, minimising material wastage, machine wear, and project costs. Furthermore, the research underscores the value of collaborative data sharing among contractors to enhance predictive capabilities and achieve broader industry advancements in monitoring while drilling (MWD) applications.

The practical outcome of this research is a system that generates a site-specific model using drilling logs early on a project, whether those are trial bores or a strategic selection of working piles. A simple interface would then confirm the rock level for the operator in situ for each pile position using the trained model, approved by the designers. This work contributes to geotechnical drilling knowledge by demonstrating how telemetry data and machine learning can advance CFA piling practices. It supports ongoing efforts to integrate MWD systems for real-time subsurface characterisation and improved foundation design, allowing more innovative and efficient piling operations.

The A1(M) Leeming to Barton upgrade project in North Yorkshire follows the historic alignment of Dere Street and, at Catterick, passes through a Roman town south of the River Swale. On the North bank a series of Roman earthworks back-filled with archaeological deposits were encountered. These deposits, including pottery, bones, building foundations, and structural earthworks, were deemed of high archaeological value. It was estimated that full excavation would add between six months and two years to the project programme, causing significant delays and cost implications.

Therefore, a strategy for in situ preservation was developed to safeguard the archaeology without compromising construction timelines. A methodology had to be agreed with National Highways and English Heritage to leave these deposits in place whilst protecting them from construction activities.

With no civil engineering precedents for in situ protection of archaeological remains under active construction, a DEFRA and English Heritage-funded agricultural study formed the basis of the approach. This study involved instrumented pseudo-archaeological artefacts, buried and subjected to various farm machinery loads, with resulting stress measurements captured in situ. Back-analysing the study results, the measured profiles could be replicated using classical soil mechanics and linear elastic theory. This permitted the stresses likely to be imposed by construction plant to be assessed using the same methodology.

Additional stress from earthworks was also calculated and added to those from construction plant. Key findings indicate that the stress increases could be kept well below the threshold associated with damage to most fragile archaeological materials. With careful use of a layered approach, protection of the archaeological deposits was achieved. This case study demonstrates that significant archaeological remains can be protected without compromising construction progress. The DEFRA study includes data for all common types of pottery found in the UK, allowing strategies to be developed for future projects.