Fugro (Norway)

The interface friction angle is a crucial design parameter for various foundations, including piles, suction buckets, anchors, gravity-based structures, pipelines, cables, and more. In the past decade, the exponential growth of offshore wind projects has led to a higher demand for multistage ring shear tests to mimic installation effects. Moreover, there is a need to obtain reliable interface friction angles, due to the potential savings in manufacturing, transportation, and installation of foundations, such as monopiles. To investigate the reliability of the interface friction angle obtained by laboratories worldwide, a round-robin testing program on interface shear tests of sand against rough steel is presented. This study focuses primarily on the most common ring shear devices, including the Bishop type and the Bromhead. Results from 42 ring shear tests conducted on 30 different devices across 19 laboratories (using the same sand and similar procedures) are presented and compared. The data suggest that the residual interface friction angle (δres) obtained from Bromhead can be 10% to 35% higher than that obtained from the Bishop ring shear apparatus. Significant scatter was observed in the results, as the Bishop ring shear yielded a δres=26.2°±0.8° (mean and standard deviation), while for the Bromhead devices, a δres=30.5°±3.5° (min=23.7° and max=39.4°) was derived, indicating that the Bromhead device could overestimate δres, in sand, by an average of approximately Δδres=4° or more. Additional tests revealed that careful specimen reconstitution is necessary to avoid creating extra friction between the sand and the confining rings in the Bromhead ring shear device. Furthermore, as suggested in previous studies, decreasing the settlements during consolidation (to <0.75 mm) does aid but does not eliminate side friction of the Bromhead device when testing a typical North Sea offshore sand in multistage shear testing. Finally, best practice recommendations are provided in this paper for obtaining more reliable interface friction angles on sand using Bromhead-type ring shear devices.

Traditional methods for estimating the axial capacity of open-ended pipe piles often exhibit poor agreement with measured load test results, leading to potential under- or over-conservative designs. This study applies a multilayer perceptron (MLP) model to predict pile capacity from pile features and soil type only, using a database of 105 full-scale load tests spanning a wide range of diameters (0.25–2.5 m) and lengths (5–98 m). Rather than relying on a fixed architecture, model hyperparameters including network depth, width, activation functions, regularization, etc., were optimized using Optuna, a Bayesian hyperparameter optimization library to systematically search over model configurations. The final model demonstrated improved predictive performance compared to traditional design methods, highlighting the promise of machine learning for foundation design while underscoring the need for larger, more diverse datasets and physics-informed features to ensure generalization.

Abstract An extensive geophysical and geotechnical database has been created from a large quantity of geophysical and geotechnical data acquired in ADNOC’s offshore fields. The database was rigorously and carefully analyzed to develop a seabed zone map and PSI/CSI calculators to estimate monotonic Pipe-Seabed Interaction (PSI)/Cable-Seabed Interaction (CSI) parameters for preliminary pipeline and cable design. A data relative confidence level map was also developed to present the reliability of the defined seabed zones for the calculated PSI/CSI parameters. These maps and tools were integrated into ADNOC’s ArcGIS platform to enable ADNOC’s pipeline and cable engineers to make data-driven project decisions.

Abstract Fugro has maintained a presence in Brazil for over 20 years, supporting offshore oil, gas, and critical minerals sectors, with a strong focus on geo-data and consulting services. Leveraging global experience in offshore wind projects, the authors have initiated assessments of potential Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in Brazil to support the development of the offshore wind industry. This study evaluates geological and geotechnical conditions on Brazil's continental shelf within IBAMA-licensed offshore wind complexes, focusing on three WEAs: northeast, southeast, and southern. Public domain geophysical and geotechnical data were compiled to assess seafloor and near-seafloor conditions relevant to offshore wind development. The regional approach considers physiographic, geologic, and subsurface characteristics to identify how they may affect planning, foundation design, and cable installation. Areas with similar conditions were delineated and analyzed, including potential impacts of seabed and subsurface features on infrastructure performance. The regional analysis identifies key geo-considerations—such as carbonate reefs and soils, mobile bedforms, buried channels, and seismicity—that may influence foundation design, cable routing, and installation. These insights provide a high-level overview to guide early-stage planning, feasibility assessments, and future site investigations.

This article gives a detail information on the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological distress keeping in mind the moderating role of adverse childhood experiences. The respondents were the university students of Pakistan from various universities across the four provinces. A sample size was 430. Validated scales were used for this study and permission was taken from the authors. The outcomes proved that relationship between the emotional intelligence and psychological distress is strengthened by the adverse childhood experiences. This study will help the university policy makers to improve the mental health policies of the students. It will also help to identify the increase of psychological distress due to the early childhood experiences.

The Team Trial of the workgroup Young German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) commemorates its 10th anniversary in 2025.The following editorial summarizes past developments, highlights successes, and reflects on future objectives.The Young DEGRO is a dedicated workgroup of the DEGRO with the goal of supporting and connecting young radiation oncologists, biologists, and physicists during their training.From the beginning, one of the primary purposes of the Young DEGRO was to connect committed young colleagues at different institutions to establish collaborations in clinical practice, teaching, and research.The latter was driven by the idea of creating a platform to realize one's own research ideas, lower barriers to engagement, and strengthen scientific cooperation within the young radiation oncology community.These ideas align with insights from

Abstract Foundation system of heavily loaded offshore platforms requires a careful design and installation planning considering type of foundation selected due to soil conditions encountered on site. Unique challenges were encountered on Marjan GOSP-4 where mega-topsides, up to 23,000 MT, were installed. The foundation system of these platforms comprises driven piles which require heavy hammers and large installation vessel. Conventional single main pile solution one under each jacket leg would require large size piles with associated very heavy pile driving hammers with a high risk of premature refusal. In case of refusal, several mitigation measures would be required including the use of drilled and grouted insert piles which can have significant cost and schedule impact. The design of driven piles on GOSP-4 was optimized using main pile in conjunction with skirt pile under each jacket leg to distribute the load thus reducing piles penetration depths and diameters. The optimized piles were successfully driven to target penetration with the selected hammer spread. During installation, site specific setup factors were measured from re-strike tests to establish aging effects in the site soils and hence increased pile capacity which formed basis of acceptance of pile foundations installed offshore. Back-SRD assessment was carried out using dynamic monitoring data records to compare predicted driving with actual driving behavior observed on site.

Summary This paper shows the impact of a novel acoustic subsurface imaging technique on buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance operations. In this study, the EdgeTech Buried Object Sonar System (eBoss) was employed at a proposed wind farm site in the North Sea. eBoss data was acquired at targets that were identified as potential UXO (pUXO) based on a geophysical magnetic survey conducted at an earlier stage. The examined targets are compared with the ‘ground truth’ of a subsequent ID&amp;C campaign. We show that integrating magnetic and acoustic methodologies enables more advanced analysis and interpretation than using either technique alone. Acoustic imaging of subsurface targets enables the rejection of targets initially classified as pUXO in magnetic surveys, by inferring object size and shape from the acoustic data. In instances where acoustic images fail to provide definitive UXO identification, magnetic data offers additional insights about the target. Furthermore, the eBoss interpretation of buried targets facilitates magnetic modelling options that were previously unattainable. Thus, a survey integrating both eBoss and magnetics can provide more information compared to a survey relying on only one of the two, reducing the need of more costly identification techniques.

Summary A geotechnical model of the subsurface is essential for site characterization in industries like energy, construction, transportations and environmental engineering. It provides crucial information on soil and rock dynamic properties that are needed to make operational decisions and manage the project risks. Traditional methods like Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves and Ambient Noise Tomography have limitations, including lack of real-time interpretations in the field, and they do not directly provide a ground model usable by engineers. To address these challenges, a new software platform combining and optimizing existing technologies such as Real-Time Pre-Scan, Ambient Noise Tomography, and Artificial Intelligence for Ground Information Model has been developed. This approach enhances the accuracy and efficiency of geotechnical site characterization, bridging the gap between geophysical and geotechnical domains. A case study in Qatar demonstrated its effectiveness, paving the way for safer and more efficient construction practices.