A Review of Medium-to Large-Scale Laboratory Testing Facilities for Soil-Pile Interaction

A recently started European Union (EU) project, GEOLAB brings together 11 unique facilities for studying soil-structure interaction (SSI). The ultimate aim is to integrate key European national research infrastructures into an excellent one-stop-shop for performing groundbreaking research and innovation with respect to SSI in order to address the challenges faced by the critical infrastructures (CI) of Europe. Among these installations is the Geotechnical Test Pit of the Technical University of Darmstadt (TUDa), Germany. With a plan dimension of 19.5 m x 5 m, the facility allows for medium- to large-scale pile model testing, thereby closing the gap between small-scale testing, on one hand, and very rare and expensive in-situ testing, on the other hand. In this paper, the TUDa test pit is presented and a review of other globally existing pile testing facilities of similar scale is given, with focus on parameters as model preparation, pile installation, and instrumentation, among others. The aim is to present the state-of-the art in medium- to large-scale physical modelling of soil-pile interaction, and identify the gaps for further development, particularly where they are relevant for enhancing CI resilience. Potential scope for future collaborations is also highlighted.