Offshore geotechnical instrumentation

This brief discussion of instrumentation for geotechnical engineering applies to fixed bottom supported structures, as well as to sea floor connected floating structures, pipelines, and buoys. At the outset, it is important to recognize the interaction among: 1) local soil conditions at the site of a structure, 2) the structural configuration itself, and 3) the sampling and testing techniques that might be used. The interaction occurs, of course, in the sense that the types of soils that occur at sites certainly influence the techniques of soil sampling and testing that are appropriate. Further, the local soil conditions can influence the selection of the configuration of the structure and foundation system. Soil provides a basic foundation support for all of these sttuctures.