Pullout Capacity of Strip Anchors in Spatially Variable Soil. II: Sand

Pengpeng He (Lead / Corresponding author), Gordon A. Fenton (Lead / Corresponding author), D. V. Griffiths (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
6 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Plate anchors have been recognized as an attractive option for floating offshore structures due to their low cost and high effectiveness. The prediction of anchor pullout capacity often assumes a homogeneous sand with uniform properties over the entire soil mass. However, natural soils typically exhibit significant spatial variability due to their geological history of soil formation. To account for this inherent spatial variability, this paper has proposed an analytical approach to probabilistically estimate the pullout capacity of strip plate anchors in sand. The soil friction angle was represented by a random field, and the first two moments and the probability density function of the anchor breakout factor were determined analytically using a local average theory. The proposed analytical approach was validated by the random finite-element method (RFEM) over a wide range of soil and anchor parameters. The findings suggest that the anchor embedment depth ratio has a limited effect on the estimated anchor failure probability, whereas the coefficient of variation and correlation length of the soil friction angle have a significant influence. This confirms the importance of sufficient site investigation for cost-effective and reliable anchor design. Overall, the proposed analytical framework can be regarded as a reliable and practical alternative to the computationally intensive RFEM.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume150
Issue number11
Early online date21 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024

Keywords

  • Plate anchor
  • Probabilistic analysis
  • Pullout capacity
  • Sand
  • Spatial variability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science
  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Pullout Capacity of Strip Anchors in Spatially Variable Soil. II: Sand'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this