Abstract Summary
Accelerating advancements in robotic engineering provide an opportunity for developing economical and efficient site characterisation devices, particularly for offshore applications. A new intelligent robotic device, ROBOCONE , is being developed for site characterisation and design of offshore structures considering “whole life” stress strain histories. ROBOCONE could apply lateral, shear, and torsional modes of loading on the surrounding soil. The lateral module behaviour of the ROBOCONE device under various stresses, without boundary effects, is studied in the light of 3D Discrete Element Modelling (DEM), developing an understanding of the physical capacity of the robotic device in sustaining the lateral forces.
