The submission period for the GEOLAB Blind Prediction Contest (BPC) is now officially open until September 15, 2024.  

The BPC results will be presented during a dedicated session at the 5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics (ISFOG) in Nantes, France (June 9-13, 2025). A representative from each winning team will be invited to attend the conference, receive public recognition during the session, and benefit from a covered registration fee and substantial contribution to travel expenses.

For instructions on submitting your prediction and detailed participation rules, please visit the event webpage [https://www.geotechnik.tu-darmstadt.de/forschung_ivg/blind/_blind_prediction_contest_1.en.jsp ].

As part of the GEOLAB project, the Institute of Geotechnics of TU Darmstadt is calling geotechnical engineers from industry and academia to participate in an international Blind Prediction Contest (BPC) on the response of piles under monotonic and cyclic lateral loading.

Two separate tests will be performed on a hollow open-ended steel pile embedded in dry sand. One test under monotonic loading and the other under quasi-static cyclic loading with more than 10,000 loading cycles.

Contestant teams can submit predictions for both tests or for the monotonic test only. All prediction methods are welcome.

The sand has been extensively characterised with laboratory tests, including monotonic (drained and undrained) and cyclic triaxial tests.  In addition, standard Cone Penetration Tests have been performed to characterise the sand condition in depth after compaction. All the produced data, as well as details on the test setup, are available in the event webpage [https://www.geotechnik.tu-darmstadt.de/forschung_ivg/blind/_blind_prediction_contest_1.en.jsp ]