Foundation Design of Tomorrow's Infrastructure

GeoFuture Geotechnical design and calculation tools for the future Civil engineering is moving towards three-dimensional (3D) oriented design for construction and lifelong maintenance. Geotechnical design and calculations need to be compatible with these technologies. GeoFuture has the aim to meet this Challenge. GeoFuture is a Norwegian research project funded by the Research Council of Norway, with a budget of 22.4 million NOK (2.5 million EURO, 2016). The project was completed in 2015. Twelve partners from Norway and Sweden, representing industry, research, the university sector and public organisations, formed an alliance to carry out the research. The partners were Skanska AS, Norconsult AS, Multiconsult AS, GeoVita AS, Vianova Systems AS, Vianova GeoSuite AB, AutoGRAF-föreningen AB, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, NTNU, SINTEF Byggforsk and NGI. The primary objective of GeoFuture was to supply the building, construction and transport industry with methods and tools for geotechnical calculations for everyday design. The results of the research were implemented in a software package called the GeoSuite Toolbox. At project completion, GeoFuture had developed the prototype of an integrated package for geotechnical calculations, with options for 1D, 2D and 3D calculations and with 3D presentation of geotechnical data together with other infrastructure data (roads, railways, earlier construction). A series of 1D, 2D and 3D models, finite element formulation and codes were developed for the calculation of stability, settlement and bearing capacity. For each of the calculation modules, GeoFuture developed a knowledge-based system for assisting the practicing engineer to assess and verify geotechnical parameters and calculation results. This "Wizard" is a wiki-based user-assistance available for all steps of the calculation, from the interpretation of laboratory and in situ test results, selection of design parameters, the calculation (e.g. choice of method) to the interpretation of the results. The user is enabled, with the option of additional assistance, to do the calculations, integrating either or both classical methods (e.g. limit equilibrium, 1D settlement approximation and closed-form solutions) and advanced finite element formulations with simple or advanced soil models for improved 2D and 3D calculations. GeoFuture delivered a fully seamless solution for the life cycle management of 3D data with the development of a new and open 3D soil data model, called the "Ground Observation Model". This model provides geo-solutions that are integrated with the Building Information Models (BIM) and Infrastructure Information Models (IIM) used by other sectors of civil and construction engineering. With the new 3D soil data model in three dimensions, realistic foundation geometry, spatial relationships, interpolation and extrapolation around 3D data volumes are possible. The methods and tools integrate 3D calculations within 3D visualisation, with the option of simple or advanced soil models and simple or advanced calculation methods for the most common foundation problems in the building, construction and transportation industry. The prototype with a user-friendly and seamless tool for geotechnical design will be commercialised through the company created for the developed software GeoSuite.

The GeoFuture project proposes a 3-dimensional and integrated set of models to support civil engineering construction with geotechncial solutions. Under the leadership of NGI, Norwegian private companies, Norwegian universities and government agencies, th e research will lead to an innovative way of solving geotechnical problems in an integrated manner with the structural, environmental and safety components of infrastructure projects. The future design approaches and tools for building, construction an d transportation (Norwegian infrastructure) face an urgent need for integrated 3-D solutions combined with solid geo-expertise. The solutions will contribute to more effective and interdisciplinary design and even control of projects. A variety of techniq ues, ranging from artificial intelligence to computerized visualization, from new geotechnical models to methods and tools for risk assessment are the subject of the 4-year research. To meet the project's objectives, the research team requires a variety of different scientific expertise and developments, whereof the most important are the integration of geotechnical and geomechanical models into illustrative and intuitive 3-D representation. In addition to the scientific geo-developments, the project in cludes validation and dissemination of the results and the elaboration of assistance to the user in the form of a knowledge-based system. The project is organised such that it will also contribute to industry-oriented student and researcher training an d long-term competence development in civil engineering in Norway. The results, when implemented in practice, will lead to more efficient and more reliable designs, thus contributing to a more sustainable civil engineering industry in the building, constr uction and transportation sectors in Norway and, with time, abroad.