News & Events

Three-Dimensional Interaction of Twin Tunnels: Numerical Analysis of the Waterloo International Terminal Case Study

🚇 This study, published in the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, tackles one of the most challenging questions in urban tunnelling: how do closely spaced tunnels influence each other’s behaviour in three dimensions over time?

Using the Jubilee Line Extension beneath the Northern Line at Waterloo as a benchmark, the following was combined:

• 📊 Extensive field monitoring during excavation and over two years of consolidation
• 🖥 High‑fidelity PLAXIS 3D modelling to replicate real‑world conditions
• 🔍 Detailed investigation of lining stiffness reduction factors, tunnel typology (station vs. running), and hydraulic boundary conditions

The obtained modelling results not only match observed ground movements with high accuracy, but also shed light on the subtle interplay between short‑term excavation effects and long‑term consolidation in London Clay.

Key takeaways:

• Station and running tunnels interact differently due to geometry and stiffness
• Accurate modelling of lining stiffness is critical for predicting settlements
• Long‑term consolidation effects can be as significant as immediate excavation impacts

This work serves as a reference for engineers, researchers, and infrastructure planners tackling complex underground projects in dense urban environments.

📄 Read the full paper by following this link

Numerical modelling of the long-term cyclic response of laterally loaded piles driven in sands using the high-cycleaccumulation framework

03/07/2025

📘 New Research Published in Géotechnique

A new paper has been published from Pishun Tantivangphaisal's PhD research, titled "Numerical modelling of the long-term cyclic response of laterally loaded piles driven in sands using the high-cycleaccumulation framework". This paper introduces a fully site-specific finite element modelling strategy for predicting the long-term cyclic response of piles driven in sand—central to offshore wind turbine foundation design. By integrating a modified High-Cycle Accumulation (HCA) framework with a calibrated low-cycle sand model, the study achieves accurate simulations of lateral pile behaviour across tens of thousands of load cycles, validated against full-scale field data from the PISA trials at Dunkirk.

🔬 Research Impact:

• This work enables the design of offshore piles under realistic service conditions
• Improves confidence in serviceability and fatigue limit state predictions
• Reduces reliance on generic databases by using exclusively site-specific calibration
• Bridges the gap between element-level soil behaviour and field-scale performance
• Provides a scalable methodology compatible with industry-standard FE tools (e.g., Plaxis)

This work supports more sustainable and cost-effective offshore infrastructure through improved cyclic design methods, informing both academic research and engineering practice.

🔗 Read the full paper

A novel machine learning-based approach to thermal integrity profiling of concrete pile foundations

30/06/2025

📘 New Research Publication

A new paper has been published from Javier Sanchez Fernandez's PhD research, titled "A Novel Machine Learning–Based Approach to Thermal Integrity Profiling of Concrete Pile Foundations" in the journal Data-Centric Engineering.

 
📄 Abstract

This study presents a novel methodology for interpreting Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP) data using machine learning techniques. TIP is a nondestructive testing method that leverages the heat of hydration in concrete to assess the structural integrity of pile foundations. The authors developed a two-stage artificial neural network (ANN) framework trained on a comprehensive dataset generated via finite element simulations.

The proposed model:

1. Classifies piles as defective or non-defective,
2. Predicts defect size and location,
3. Estimates reinforcement cage misalignment, and
4. Back-calculates key concrete hydration parameters.

The approach demonstrated high predictive accuracy and robustness, even under noisy data conditions, and is compatible with standard TIP workflows.

 
🏗️ Significance

This research contributes to the advancement of nondestructive testing in geotechnical engineering by:

• Enhancing the reliability of TIP for defect detection
• Reducing the risk of undetected structural anomalies
• Supporting safer and more efficient foundation construction practices.

🔓 Open Access and Data Availability

The article is freely accessible via Cambridge University Press. The dataset used for model training is available on our Zenodo community.

 
📖 Read the Full Article

👉 Access the publication here

Numerical study of the effect of soil-plant-atmosphere interaction under future climate projections and different vegetation covers

14/06/2025

A new MAGE paper has been published from Maryam Maddah Sadatieh's ongoing PhD project on soil-plant-atmosphere interaction. This paper investigates these interactions under future climate projections and different vegetation covers. It combines ecohydrological and geotechnical modelling to assess the impact on slope stability and serviceability. Using the Tethys-Chloris model, the research calculates actual evapotranspiration and integrates it into geotechnical analysis. Results show vegetation increases slope safety by enhancing soil suction. Climate change effects and vegetation dynamics are analysed, revealing complex interactions between climate, soil hydraulic properties, and slope behaviour. The study emphasizes the importance of realistic boundary conditions and field monitoring for accurate geotechnical assessments.

The new paper is available on Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, where it is Open Access!

Presentation on Numerical Modelling of Long-term Cyclic Loads on Offshore Monopiles

25/03/2025

Pishun Tantivangphaisal delivered a talk to the SUT ECOSIGG and the British Geotechnical Association Early Careers Group. This talk took place at Imperial College on 25th March 2025 and focussed on Pishun's experience with developing, implementing and applying tools for modelling the effects of long-term cyclic loading on offshore monopiles. Pishun also gave us some insights into his career in industry and research.

Read Pishun's paper in MethodsX detailing the implementation of HCA in PLAXIS3D and watch the recording in our page dedicated to offshore geotechnics research.

Presentations at the DTE-AICOMAS 2025 conference

27/02/2025

Two of our researchers presented their work at the 3rd IACM Digital Twins in Engineering Conference (DTE 2025) & 1st ECCOMAS Artificial Intelligence and Computational Methods in Applied Science (AICOMAS 2025), in Paris.

Javier presented his research on "Integrating machine learning classification with thermal integrity profiling for concrete pile assessment", while Yunxiang provided an update on new sampling methods for surrogate models in his talk "A model-independent adaptive sampling approach for surrogate design in geotechnical engineering".

Implementation of a practical sand constitutive model coupled with the High Cycle Accumulation framework in PLAXIS

28/01/2025

A new MAGE paper has been published from Pishun Tantivangphaisal's ongoing PhD project that details the implementation of the High Cycle Accumulation framework in PLAXIS, coupled with a state parameter-based constitutive model for sands. It proposes changes to the base formulation and shows its application to the challenging problem of calculating the accumulation of deformations in offshore wind turbine foundations when subjected to thousands of loading cycles.

The new paper is available in MethodsX, where it is Open Access thanks to the support of Imperial College London Open Access Fund. 

2024 Christmas party

16/12/2024

The annual MAGE Christmas party took place today to celebrate the achievements of 2024 and look ahead at what 2025 is bringing to the group.

Back row: Pishun, Fabian, Maryam, Ethelbert, David & Eric
Front row: Javier, Alison, Katerina, Shengjie & Yunxiang
Not present: Agustin, Dariel, Francesca, Jiaming, Julia & Stavroula

We look forward to the next get together, which is scheduled for the week of the Rankine Lecture in mid-March!

A new method for estimating ground movements due to shaft excavation

06/12/2024 

A new MAGE paper has been published that proposes a new method for determining vertical and horizontal ground movements due to the excavation of shafts in London Clay. This paper is available on the Proceedings of the ICE - Geotechnical Engineering with the accepted copy available in Spiral.

As part of this paper, we created a spreadsheet that implements the developed expressions, which is available for download in Zenodo.

First place in blind prediction contest

06/11/2024 

The results of the GEOLAB Blind Prediction Contest organised by TU Darmstadt for pile foundations under monotonic and cyclic lateral loading are out! 

The IC MAGE team comprising Pishun Tantivangphaisal, Fabian Wall and David M. G. Taborda from the Geotechnics section at Imperial College ranked first in the monotonic prediction, second in the cyclic prediction and took the top prize for the overall top prediction of the event, among 18 teams from 15 different countries around the world! 

The team combined Seequent PLAXIS 3D with material models and advanced numerical tools developed by the IC MAGE research group and will now get the chance to present their prediction at the 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics in Nantes, France, in June 2025!