Pile Tests Research Articles

EXPERIMENTAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE SOIL BASE MODEL FOR THE CALCULATION OF THE COMBINED RAFT-PILE FOUNDATION

A new design of a combined raft-pile foundation, which is devoid of the shortcomings of similar existing design solutions and installation methods are proposed. This technical solution has been implemented at one of the construction sites in Kharkiv (Ukraine). The proposed design makes it possible to efficiently use the load-bearing capacity of the soil base by involving the raft part in the response to the loading in a controlled manner with transfer of up to 50% of the total load to this without going beyond the allowable strains of the soil base. The remaining 50% of the load are taken up by piles. The article considers the improved soil base model of the combined raft-pile foundation to consider the nonlinear behavior of the elements “before” and “after” the connection between the raft and the piles (structural nonlinearity) to calculate the stress-strain state using the finite element method in present-day calculation software. Using the improved model makes it possible to qualitatively simulate the behavior of the CRPF with the structural nonlinearity in the behavior of its elements. As a result, we obtain reliable results on the stress-strain state of the base-foundation-structure system. The article presents the modeling and numerical calculation of the "soil base - combined raft-pile foundation - structure" system of a real building object by program SOFISTIK using the proposed soil base model and the method of determining its parameters. The comparison and analysis of the results of the numerical calculation and the field experiment of the settlement of the raft part and the initial settlements of the piles of the foundation confirmed the adequacy of the application of the improved soil base model in the form of a combination of two known models: a limited distribution capacity and a Fuss-Winkler and method of determining it parameters on the basis of preliminary pile test. The analysis of the stress-strain state of the combined raft-pile foundation at different stages of the interaction with the proposed soil base model helps to confirm the physical significance of this structural nonlinearity of the behavior of the foundation elements. Keywords: Soil Base, Combined Raft-Pile Foundation, Model, Modeling, Field Investigation

Influence of soil plasticity models on offshore wind turbine response

AbstractWhile recent numerical modelling advances have enabled robust simulation of foundation hysteresis behaviour, uptake of these models has been limited in the offshore wind industry. This is partially due to modelling complexity and the unknown influence of including such soil constitutive models within a design philosophy. This paper addresses this issue by outlining a framework of an aero‐hydro‐servo‐elastic offshore wind turbine model that is fully coupled with a multisurface plasticity 1D Winkler foundation model. Comparisons between this model and industry standard aeroelastic tools, such as OpenFAST, are shown to be in good agreement. The hysteretic soil predictions are also shown to be in good agreement with CM6 Cowden PISA test piles, in terms of secant stiffness and loop shape. This tool has then been used to address the unknown influence of hysteretic soil reactions on the design of monopile supported offshore wind turbines against extreme conditions. This study demonstrates that a significant reduction in ultimate and service limit state utilization is observed when a multisurface plasticity foundation model is adopted, as opposed to industry standard pile–soil interaction models.

A small-scale pile impact test for demonstrating the coupling between structural vibration and underwater noise generation

The performance improvement of renewable energy sources has become nowadays a crucial topic to boost the energy transition. With respect to offshore wind farms, larger wind turbines are currently being designed to increase their power capacity. To support such turbines into the seabed, monopile foundations are mainly used, due to their low-cost manufacturing and transportation. Because of the increased wind turbines' dimensions, larger monopiles are needed, which have shown to shift high sound waves to lower-frequency ranges during their installation. A precise prediction of the high noise level is necessary to properly design noise-cancelling devices, which prevent negative impacts on marine life. Because the evaluation of sound levels at a full-scale monopile installation is time-consuming and expensive, small-scale tests are being explored. Here we propose a small-scale test for investigating the high noise levels source. To that end, proper scaling laws and instrumentation have been adopted to assure the similarity between the small- and full-scale cases. The experimental results were also compared to a simplified numerical model. The findings of this work showed that investigating a priori the monopile's features provides an underwater noise prediction, which can be used to design the upcoming noise-cancelling devices.

Ground Vibration Response to Vibratory Sheet Pile Driving and Extraction

Sheet piles are extensively used as foundation structures in urban environments. However, the vibrations associated with sheet pile construction can potentially adversely affect existing buildings, as well as cause discomfort to nearby residents. This study aims to analyze ground vibration response during the driving and extraction of sheet piles. To this end, field tests of U-shaped sheet piles were conducted in Beijing silty clay, during which ground vibrations in the near-field were monitored. Subsequently, a numerical model was developed using the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method to simulate the pile–soil interaction characteristics and to investigate ground vibration intensity in the far-field. The research results indicate that the ground vibration response modes during the driving and extraction of sheet piles are distinctly different. Due to the entry effect, the critical depth during pile driving typically occurs in shallow soil layers, while during pile extraction, the critical depth generally corresponds to the pile’s embedded depth to overcome the soil locking effect. Ground vibrations rapidly decrease in the near-field (<6 m), while in the far-field (>6 m), the attenuation rate significantly slows down. Vibrations can be widely perceived by residents at radial distances of less than 12 m. Through a systematic assessment, it was concluded that sheet pile construction is unlikely to directly damage surrounding buildings but may inconvenience nearby residents. Additionally, a parametric analysis of the vibration source revealed that appropriately adjusting the driving frequency and amplitude can effectively reduce vibration levels.

Axial capacity ageing trends of large diameter tubular piles driven in sand

The paper examines dynamic pile test data from 25 high-quality offshore cases, where end-of-initial driving (EoID) and beginning-of-restrike (BoR) instrumented dynamic monitoring was undertaken on tubular piles driven in sands at well-characterised sites after known setup periods. The static resistances derived from signal matching by two independent specialist teams using different software are compared with CPT-based pile capacity calculations, providing the first axial capacity and setup dataset for large offshore piles driven in sand. Complementary re-analyses are made from three onshore/nearshore sites where dynamic and static testing was conducted on comparable piles. Open-ended tubular steel piles with 0.3–3.5 m diameters driven in (mainly dense) sands are all shown to develop marked setup, which is most active over the first 2–10 days. All piles show similar outcomes 20–30 days after installation. However, the larger diameter offshore piles’ dynamic tests indicate no further setup after 30 days, while smaller diameter piles at onshore/nearshore sites continue to display further marked capacity growth. Comparisons of the axial shaft capacities inferred from signal matching with CPT-based design methods provides insights into the performance of the design methods. A trend for long-term pile shaft set-up to decrease with increasing diameter is identified and ascribed principally to the diameter-dependent constrained dilatancy that develops under axial loading at the pile-sand interface.

Predicting monotonic lateral load-displacement behavior of offshore flexible piles in saturated MCC soils: An application of the cavity expansion theory

This paper proposes an application of the cavity expansion theory to predict the load-displacement response of monotonically laterally loaded piles and the effective stress distribution of saturated modified Cam-clay (MCC) soil surrounding the pile. This approach incorporates geometric relationship, equilibrium equation, and boundary conditions to derive governing equations. These equations are subsequently solved to obtain monotonic p-y curves, which encompass the elastic, elastoplastic, and critical processes. To determine the load-displacement behavior and effective stress distribution of the soil, the proposed approach combines the deflection equilibrium differential equation with the finite-difference method. The accuracy and effectiveness of the approach are validated through a comparison with a Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation. Parametric studies are also presented to investigate the effects of overconsolidation ratio, in-situ coefficient, and mean effective stress. The validity and capacity of the proposed model are further demonstrated using model pile tests. The results affirm that this approach can well predict the monotonic load-displacement response of the pile and effectively captures important phenomena observed in pile tests.

A simplified coupled method for geotechnical analysis of geothermal energy pile with single U-shaped tube heat exchanger

Geothermal energy pile (GEP) is an environmentally friendly energy source that utilizes heat energy present in the shallow earth surface to decrease building energy consumption. However, thermal stresses of pile shafts due to the temperature changes during the operation of GEP may cause distress to the supported structures e.g. buildings, and there is currently a lack of established calculation methods for the geotechnical design of GEP. This paper presents a simplified coupled method for geotechnical analysis of GEP with a single U-shaped tube heat exchanger. Primarily, leveraging the finite line heat source model and the superposition principle, we propose a segmentation superposition heat transfer model tailored for GEP featuring a singular U-shaped tube heat exchanger. This model adeptly computes the temperature variations along the pile shaft. Secondly, a hyperbolic curve is chosen as the load-transfer function, and the unloading and reloading characteristics of the relationship between the shaft friction/shaft displacement during temperature cycling are simulated by Massing’s criterion. Building upon the aforementioned, taking into account the uneven temperature rise of the pile and the influence of soil shear deformation, a coupled calculation method for the working characteristics of energy piles under thermal–mechanical conditions has been established. The method is validated on the basis of in-situ measurements of the loads and deformations experienced by heat exchanger test piles and a model test on the thermal–mechanical behavior of GEP with a single U-shaped tube heat exchanger.

Effect of spatial variability of cone penetration resistance on probabilistic axial capacity of pile foundations

The Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is site-specific and it is one of the predominant tests in geotechnical investigations used for varied offshore and onshore facilities. The evaluation of axial load carrying capacity of pile is one such use. Due to their continual records, CPT-based methods are appropriate in the offshore environments. Uncertainties are prevailing in most of the engineered systems and implementation of spatial correlation in the probabilistic geotechnical studies possess a paramount importance to overcome the uncertainties. In the present study, the influence of spatial correlation in the CPT data towards the load carrying capacity of pile group in sandy soil is examined. The in-situ test approach involving the spatial correlation of the CPT data in the analytical formulations is established in the study. The inclusion of spatial correlation intervening the spatial averages of CPT data obtained along the soil profile for the pile length, qc,a and at its base, qc,s is studied. Variance reduction technique is utilized for developing the one-dimensional spatial correlation. The failure probability and its relationship with the factor of safety is illustrated based on the Rackwitz’s first-order reliability method (FORM). The results of the analyses have shown that, the inclusion of spatial correlation imparts a significant effect on failure probability and which when ignored will result in an unsafe design. A test pile group is analyzed to exemplify the reliability assessment of axial pile load carrying capacity by considering the spatial correlation of CPT data. This approach can be utilized for the safer pile design practices within the probabilistic framework.

Analysis on the synergistic variation law of pile refreezing process and bearing capacity based on high-strain dynamic test method

The high-strain dynamic test method possesses the attributes of speed, efficiency, and environmentally-friendly, low-carbon characteristics. To study the reliability of the high-strain dynamic test method in detecting the bearing capacity of pile foundation in permafrost regions, 4 test piles, each with a length of 15 m and a diameter of 1.0 m, were poured based on the actual bridge construction project in the permafrost region of Daxing'an Mountains in China. Based on the temperature data between the piles and soil, the refreezing state of the pile foundation was comprehensively judged. Subsequently, the static method was employed to assess the friction resistance values and single pile bearing capacity of each soil layer on the pile side under different freezing states before and after the pile foundation refreezing. Building upon these findings, the restrictive parameters for soil elastic limit q_{(i)}, soil resistance R_{U} (i) and other parameters in the pile-soil model of high-strain dynamic test method are clarified. The test and analysis results indicate that under the condition that the ground temperature of frozen soil is about − 1.9 °C, the pile-soil refreezing takes about 120 days, and the pile-soil refreezing is a slow process; In CAPWAPC calculation program, after the values of soil parameters were constrained by the results of static-load test, the calculated curve is in satisfactory agreement with the measured curve, and the parameters of the pile-soil model are reliable, which can be used for the rapid detection of the ultimate bearing capacity of piles in permafrost regions; In the process of pile-soil refreezing, the change of temperature field affects the freezing strength between pile and soil, the process of pile-soil refreezing is positively correlated with the increase of pile foundation bearing capacity.

Application of lateral displacement measurement in pile lateral load test

Usual pile lateral load test does not supply advance results. This paper presents pile lateral load test using suitable instrument to measure lateral movement of pile shaft. The new method of pile test supplies the behavior of pile under lateral load such as pile deformation, pile inner forces, soil pressure… and help to validate the design calculations as well as to choose the reasonable pile-soil calculation method.

P-Y Lateral Pile Analyses Accounting for Arbitrary Loading Directions and Calibration Uncertainty

A bounding surface plasticity p-y model accommodating pile lateral loading in arbitrary directions with respect to the pile axis is demonstrated via back-analysis of test piles. The demonstration analyses include: planar conditions, three-dimensional conditions with asymmetric cyclic loading, and Monte Carlo investigations of the influence of calibration choices. The p‑y model and its host finite element program are implemented in the MATLAB programing environment. Monte Carlo simulations investigating modelling uncertainty are accomplished efficiently when taking advantage of MATLAB’s parallel processing capability. Analysis results are compared to those observed for nine test piles at the Cowden site with diameters 0.272 m, 0.762 m and 2 m having length-to-diameter ratios between 3 and 10. The implemented p-y model is based upon and is a natural extension of the traditional API methodology. The modelling technique accurately reproduces the observed response characteristics of piles in a challenging soil profile with considerable uncertainty in its strength characteristics. It is robust, theoretically rigorous, efficient and requires the same level of effort as traditional p-y analyses. The results are easily interpreted by designers familiar with the p-y method. The characteristic responses of the p-y model under biaxial loading compare favorably to those from finite element elastic-plastic planar continuum analyses as well as small-scale physical tests on rigid piles.

Analysis of the Interaction Between the Upper and Lower Piles in a Self-Anchored Test Pile

Analysis of the Interaction Between the Upper and Lower Piles in a Self-Anchored Test Pile

Comparison of Field Ultimate Capacity (Static and Dynamic Load Test) with the Analytic Design of Bored Pile in Granular Soil, Batam, Indonesia

A bored pile provides a large capacity obtained to toe and friction pile to support some loads such as axial, lateral, and tensile due to hydrostatic pressure or overturning moment. Static and dynamic load tests are often carried out to validate pile design before pile production in a project. This study aims to compare the ultimate capacity of the pile based on the result of static load test, dynamic load test, and pile design in granular soil of Batam, Indonesia, in which Chin-Kondner, Mazurkiewicz, Davisson, and Hansen 80% methods are utilized to obtain ultimate capacity (Qu) of static load test and dynamic test analysis apply Case Pile Wave Analysis Program (CAPWAP) method to gain ultimate capacity. The result analysis of the static load test of ultimate capacity using Chin-Kondner, Mazurkiewicz, Davisson, and Hansen 80% methods obtained results of 1379, 1300, 1375, and 1182 tons, respectively, with a Qu average of 1309 tons. A bearing capacity (RMX) of 1204 tons was obtained through a dynamic load test. Using the CAPWAP method based on the dynamic test, the ultimate bearing capacity (Ru) of 1248 tons was obtained. Analysis of pile design shows that the ultimate capacity of the bored pile in the granular soil of Batam, Indonesia, was 1157 tons. The Qu examination between field loading testing (1278.5 tons) and design pile foundation (1158 tons) was 9.4%.

Monitoring Soil-Pile Stripping Damage at Different Temperatures via Piezoelectric Ceramic Sensors

Large temperature differences exist between the winter and summer seasons in different regions of China. Such temperature differences, caused by seasonal changes, may affect the life cycles of piles. Under natural conditions, such as long-term operation under the ambient environment and loads, piles and the surrounding soil undergo peel damage. To study such peel damage between the pile and soil at different temperatures, we installed concrete test piles in soil and subjected them to different temperatures. A crack with a width of 2 cm, depth of 10 cm, and damage range of 90° was applied at the side of the piles. Furthermore, a horizontal impact load was applied near the top of the pile and a piezoelectric ceramic sensor was used to obtain the stress wave response signals. The experimental results reveal that with a decrease in the soil temperature, the amplitude and fluctuation range of the signals received by the piezoelectric sensor decreased. According to the experimental results, in the group with the greatest influence of temperature, keeping other conditions unchanged and setting different crack depths, the horizontal impact load can also be introduced to observe the frequency change. It can be observed that the larger the crack depth, the smaller the frequency. Finally, ABAQUS was used for simulations, whose results were found to be consistent with those of the experiments. This paper describes a method for determining the safety of soil and piles with peel damage at different temperatures, and it also provides a validation of the necessity of holding the rest constant.

Resistance responses and design recommendations for driven piles in coarse-grained soil-based intermediate geomaterials

Piles driven in Intermediate GeoMaterials (IGM) pose multiple design and construction challenges because of the high uncertainty in IGM properties, lacking knowledge pertaining to pile responses in IGM, and absence of classification, static analysis (SA) methods, and design recommendations. A classification criterion is established for coarse grained soil based intermediate geomaterials (CG-IGM) using test pile data from bridge projects completed in four U.S. states. This study improves our understanding of pile resistance responses in CG-IGM and results in pile design recommendations. Unit shaft resistance (qs) of CG-IGM increases with the ratio of effective vertical stress (σv′) to the ratio of corrected N-value, (N1)60. Unit end bearing (qb) increases with the ratio of. corrected N-value, (N1)60 to the effective vertical stress (σv′). New SA methods are developed for predicting qs and qb. The proposed SA methods are compared against existing β-method developed for coarse grained soil and validated using an independent pile load test dataset. Pile setup is observed in qs of piles driven in CG-IGMs, and pile relaxation is mostly observed in qb. Statistical assessment concludes that the proposed SA methods provide more accurate and consistent qs and qb predictions than that by the β-method.

Model test and finite element analysis results of a monopile in very dense sand under unidirectional horizontal cyclic loading

This study is carried out to understand the response of a monopile for a large (8–9 MW) offshore wind turbine located at a 45m water depth under lateral cyclic loading. Firstly, a 1g large-scale model pile test was performed in saturated very dense sand under numerous cycles of lateral loading, N=2000. The test results show that the lateral pile head displacement and rotation increase while the secant stiffness of pile decreases with increasing N. The numerical model was then validated by comparing the pile head displacement results of the test and the finite element (FE) model analysis. The soil was modelled using the UBC3D-PLM constitutive model to understand the development of the excess pore pressure ratio (EPPR) around the monopile. The FE analysis was performed cycle by cycle up to N=5 for a large diameter “XL monopile” with diameter D=9m and embedded length L=50m. The results showed that the EPPR around the monopile is insignificant. Furthermore, the effect of the number of loading cycles on the evolution of the EPPR, pile head deformation and pile head rotation are insignificant. In addition, a relatively high maximum pile head rotation accumulation θmax≅0.13° was obtained during cyclic loading.

A practical framework for assessing the effect of cyclic softening of clays on the lateral response of single piles

Single pile foundation has been widely used for the most offshore wind turbines to resist the cyclic loading resulted from the wind and wave. The cyclic loading can result in the degradation of the shear strength and the stiffness of clays surrounding piles. This study proposed a practical framework for assessing the effect of cyclic softening of clays on the lateral response of piles. A 3D finite difference model was developed for the pile – soil interaction under cyclic loading and then verified by full-scale monotonic and cyclic lateral load tests conducted on the single pile in clay. The cyclic softening behavior of undrained clays was described by a nonlinear dynamic softening constitutive model developed by the authors. The effect of the loading type (i.e., one-way and two-way loading) and the loading amplitude on the cyclic lateral response of piles was investigated. Moreover, a prediction function was proposed and was demonstrated to be effective in estimating the evolution of cumulative peak lateral displacement of cyclically loaded single piles in clays. The proposed practical framework provides an alternative for predicting the cyclic response of single piles in clays based on the monotonic lateral load test of piles.

Effect of long-term lateral cyclic loading on the dynamic response and fatigue life of monopile-supported offshore wind turbines

Offshore wind turbines are often supported on monopiles and are always subjected to long-term cyclic loading during their service life. This cyclic loading induces changes in the damping, stiffness and permanent accumulated rotation of the monopile foundation. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of these three changes occurring simultaneously on the dynamic response and fatigue life of offshore wind turbines in sand. To this end, an integrated methodology is presented based on time-domain finite element model and small-scale model tests of rigid piles. Three states of the monopile foundation are selected and defined based on the operational time of the turbine. The results show that these three changes have a slight effect on the dynamic response of offshore wind turbines, but have a significant effect on the fatigue life. The fatigue life decreased from 23.3 years for the initial state to 20.99 years for the medium state and 19.45 years for the ultimate state, a decrease of 10% and 16.5%, respectively, indicating that these changes should be addressed in the design of the fatigue life calculation of offshore wind turbine structures. The systematic parametric analysis shows that soil damping has the greatest effect on the dynamic response and fatigue life, followed by soil stiffness, which is less affected by permanent accumulated rotation.

A Study on the Load-Bearing Characteristics and Load Transfer Mechanism of Bag Grouting Pile in Soft Soil Areas

In soft soil areas, to compare the load-bearing characteristics of bag grouting piles and cement mixing piles and study the load-bearing mechanism of bag grouting piles, field tests are conducted in this study, including the comparative compressive test of bag grouting piles and cement mixing piles, and the analysis of pile axial force, pile side friction resistance, and pile end resistance. Moreover, a numerical simulation is developed using ABAQUS 2020 (finite element analysis software) for three-dimensional modeling. The numerical simulation results are compared with the field test results to verify the reliability of the numerical simulation. Furthermore, the influences of five factors are studied; namely, pile length, pile diameter, pile spacing, the thickness of the bedding layer, and grouting pressure are studied for their effects on the compressive bearing characteristics of the bag grouting pile. The results show the following: (1) For composite foundations, bag grouting piles are more effective than cement mixing piles in soft soil areas, and the former provide an 8.8% increase in the bearing characteristics. (2) With an increase in the load, the bag grouting pile experiences greater compression in the middle of the pile body, and the pile side friction resistance is increased; therefore, the pile side friction resistance can be fully developed, and the bag grouting piles have the ability to transfer the load from the top of the pile to the soil at the bottom of the pile. (3) When the external load is maximized, the sharing ratio of pile side friction resistance reaches 96.3%, which shows the excellent frictional performance of bag grouting piles. (4) Among the five factors mentioned above, the most important one is the pile diameter, followed by the pile length and pile spacing, the thickness of the bedding layer, and finally the grouting pressure. The optimal combination in this paper is a pile length of 18 m, pile diameter of 0.4 m, pile spacing of 1.0 m, bedding thickness of 0.3 m, and grouting pressure of 0.6 MPa. Therefore, changing the pile diameter can be given priority during the construction design. The findings in this paper can provide valuable insights and practical experience for the design of similar engineering projects.

Post-installation performance of piles installed with a novel driving method: field tests and numerical modelling

Since the industrial revolution, humanity's impact on the planet has increased significantly. The growth of global economies and population size in the 20th century was fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. In an effort to reduce the impact of human kind on the environment, governments ratified landmark agreements such as the Montreal Protocol in 1987, the UNFCCC in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol in 2005, and the Paris Agreement in 2015.
 To support this effort, the European implemented the European Green Deal (2019), which aims to achieve no-net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Offshore wind energy, particularly large-diameter monopiles, is expected to play a substantial role in this transition. Europe has already developed over 28 GW of offshore wind power, with a global capacity of 37 GW as of 2021 [8]. However, to meet the goals of the European Green Deal, offshore wind capacity needs to scale up significantly in the next 28 years.
 The installation of monopiles, the most selected foundation option for offshore wind turbines, has traditionally relied on impact hammering. This method has drawbacks such as lengthy installation times, and noise emissions harmful to marine life. An alternative approach is axial vibratory pile driving, which offers faster and quieter installation. However, certification bodies have yet to endorse its use for offshore wind farm construction owing to uncertainties relating to the post-installation monopile performance. Research efforts are being devoted to understanding the dynamic behaviour of the soil during vibro-driving and the effects of vibro-installation on pile performance. Several geotechnical research teams are investigating the post-installation lateral behaviour of monopiles and comparing the performance of impact piling and vibratory piling [1-7,9-13].
 To complement the effort towards noiseless pile driving researchers from TU Delft proposed the novel Gentle Driving of Piles (GDP) method which aims to enhance traditional axial vibro-pile driving by incorporating high-frequency torsional vibrations [9]. The addition of torsional vibrations is expected to consume/redirect soil frictional resistance and limit radial expansion during pile driving, resulting in faster and quieter installation – the GDP shaker is presented in Figure 1.a.
 To demonstrate the GDP technology and compare its performance with traditional pile-driving methods (impact pilling and axial vibratory driving), comprehensive medium-scale field tests were conducted in an inhomogeneous sand deposit at the Port of Rotterdam. Eight identical test piles with a diameter of 0.762 m and an embedded length of 8 m were installed using impact hammering, traditional axial vibratory piling, and the GDP method. Out of the eight test piles, four were heavily instrumented out of which two were GDP-driven, and the remaining two were installed with impact pilling (IH) and axial vibro-driving (VH).
 The tests performed on the four main test piles consisted of two stages: the first stage focused on driving performance, while the second stage examined the cyclic lateral behaviour of the piles under repeated loading for different installation methods -cyclic loading programme in Figure 1.b. The test results highlighted the promise of the method towards faster (Figure 1.c.) and less perturbing pile driving [1,9,13] but also enhanced post-installation lateral response [5,6,7] compared to the traditional alternative installation methods (Figure 1.d.).