Professor Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Grabe has been a professor at the Hamburg University of Technology since 1998, where he is the head of the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering and Construction Management.

His work focuses on practical research and development tasks.

He is active in the following areas:

• Soil mechanics and soil dynamics
• Geotechnics (pile foundations, sheet piling, soil improvement, etc.)
• Marine geotechnics (quay walls, land reclamation, foundations for offshore platforms, etc.)
• Mathematical optimisation of construction methods and structures

 

He has extensive experience of collaborating with companies.

The range of possible forms of cooperation is wide.

• Third-party funded projects: Joint applications for funding from regional institutions or federal ministries, for example
• Expert discussions
• Lectures at companies
• Contract research and conducting studies and services

 

Prof. Grabe offers the following services:

Technical services

• Optimisation of geotechnical processes and structures through mathematical optimisation and computer simulation
• Scientific support for complex geotechnical structures, e.g. forecasts for structures in geotechnical category 3
• Court reports
• Expert reports

 

Laboratory tests

• Standard soil mechanics tests, e.g. classification tests, permeability tests, oedometer tests, direct shear tests, uniaxial compression tests, CD, CU and UU triaxial tests, abrasivity tests, laboratory vane shear tests, suspension tests
• Special soil mechanics tests, e.g. cyclic oedometer test, direct shear test and triaxial test, bending element test, resonance column test, simple shear tests with monotonic and cyclic loading, soft oedometer, rheology and viscosity tests, temperature-controlled triaxial tests, ring shear tests
• Model tests under the influence of simple gravitational acceleration (1g model tests)
• Field measurements, e.g. inclinometer measurements, measurement of strains, earth pressure, pore water pressure, velocities (geophone) and accelerations

 

The institute’s equipment enables a wide range of standard and special tests to be carried out.

Classification tests:

• Grain size distribution
• Water content
• Atterberg state parameters for cohesive soils
• Cone penetration test
• Density, bulk density
• Loosest and densest state for non-cohesive soils
• Lime content
• Loss on ignition
• Water absorption capacity
• Proctor test
• Testing the angle of repose

 

Permeability tests

Testing the stress-strain behaviour (stiffness, shear strength, dilatancy):

• Oedometer tests (IL, CRS, VRS), K0 oedometer cell, monotonic/cyclic loading, creep tests, swelling tests
• Direct shear tests, constant normal stress, constant stiffness, monotonic/cyclic loading
• One-dimensional compression and tensile tests
• Triaxial tests (CD, CU, UU), monotonic and cyclic loading, bending element test, temperature control and other special tests
• Simple shear tests, monotonic and cyclic loading and continuous change of shear direction, also possible for unsaturated soils
• Resonance column tests
• Ring shear tests

Determination of rheological properties with viscometer/rheometer

Testing of suspensions

Abrasiveness test with abrasimeter

Physical modelling (model tests):

• 1g model test rig for monopile foundations, monotonic and cyclic loading
• 1g model test rig with feed and rotation speed control
• 1g model test rig for investigating jet erosion
• 1g model test rig for embankments and dykes
• 1g model test rig for retaining walls
• ng model test rig/centrifuge tests in collaboration with the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS) at the University of Western Australia, Perth

 

Field tests, for example:

• Inclinometer measurement, vibration velocities
• Measurement of strains, earth pressure, pore water pressure, velocities (geophones), accelerations, etc.

 

Further information on Prof. Grabe can be found here.