Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

Vibro-installed piles are a promising alternative to impact-driven piles, which support the majority of offshore wind turbines. Geotechnical site investigation typically includes cone penetrometer testing. The aim of this research is to advance understanding of the physical processes occurring during vibratory installation of piles in different soils and the possibility to predict this response on the basis of cyclic penetrometer tests. The selected PhD students will conduct a combination of centrifuge experiments and numerical modelling at the forefront of innovation, thereby contributing to improving design methods.

 PhD1 will focus on vibro-driven pile response in sandy soils

 PhD2 will focus on vibro-driven pile response in clayey soils

 PhD3 will focus on the evolution of cyclic cone penetration response across a range of soils.

The students will be supervised by a combination of Britta Bienen, Patrick Staubach* and Fraser Bransby and other members of the COFS academic team (* Bauhaus University Weimar)

The PhD projects are associated with ARC DP260103595.

Prof Britta Bienen: britta.bienen@uwa.edu.au

How to apply

Apply through the online application portal.

UWA First class Master or equivalent
Background in geotechnical engineering
Experience in physical and/or numerical modelling desirable

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. 

Visit the course webpage for full details of this course including admission requirements, course rules and the relevant CRICOS code/s.