GLAUCONY DEPOSITS AND THEIR IMPACT ON GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Predrag Tošović Ken Vinck

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DOI: 10.46793/GEOAG25.227T

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

The offshore wind industry has rapidly expanded globally, necessitating advanced in-situ and laboratory characterisation of new soil deposits. Among these, glaucony poses particular challenges for geotechnical engineering, especially for monopile installation and performance along the East Coast of the United States. These green sand deposits are highly susceptible to particle crushing, leading to a transition from a coarse-grained, stiff, and permeable material to a fine-grained, cohesive, clay-like soil of low permeability. Crushing typically occurs beneath the pile tip during driving, and evidence from driving logs and cone penetration tests indicates a high risk of premature pile refusal, driven by a substantial increase in shaft friction caused by the reworked material. Glaucony is composed predominantly of glauconite, a 2:1 interlayer-deficient mica that forms on a host material and gradually replaces it. During maturation, its physico-chemical properties evolve, altering its geotechnical behaviour. However, the mechanisms underlying these behaviours remain poorly understood, and research on this material is scarce. This paper presents a summary of a Master’s thesis undertaken at Imperial College London, UK, including a literature review of glaucony and its implications for offshore geotechnical practice.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

Glaucony, glaucony sand, offshore wind, monopile, foundations

ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

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