Mata Kuliah Topik Khusus

Title of Literature Studied:

The ultimate uplift capacity of multi-plate strip

anchors in undrained clay
Author : R.S. Merifield, C.C. Smith
Reference: Computers and Geotechnic, Volume 37, Issue 4, pp. 504–514, 2010

Student Name:
Student ID :
1. Extended Abstract
Soil anchors are commonly used as foundation systems for structures requiring uplift
resistance such as transmission towers, or for structures requiring lateral resistance, such as sheet
pile walls. Anchors commonly have more than one plate or bearing element and therefore there is
a complex interaction between adjacent plates due to overlapping stress zones. This interaction
will affect the failure mode and ultimate capacity. However, no thorough numerical analyses
have been performed to determine the ultimate pullout loads of multi-plate anchors. By far the
majority of the research has been directed toward the tensile uplift behaviour of single anchors
(only one plate). The primary aim of this research paper is to use numerical modelling techniques
to better understand plane strain multi-plate anchor foundation behaviour in clay soils. A
practical design framework for multi-plate anchor foundations will be established to replace
existing semi-empirical design methods that are inadequate and have been found to be
excessively under or over conservative. This framework can then be used by design engineers to
more confidently estimate the pullout capacity of multi-plate anchors under tension loading.

Keywords: Anchor, pullout capacity, finite elements, limit analysis, upper bound and lower
bound, clay

2. Notes and Discussion

The complex nature of buried foundation behaviour has meant there are many conflicting
theories reported in the literature. Accurately modelling anchor behaviour is a difficult problem
that presents many challenges, as pointed out by Das (1990) and more recently by Merifield
(2002). In general, anchor capacity is a function of (1) soil type and density; (2) the capacity of
each individual bearing element (i.e. plate or helix); (3) the adhesion between the plate/shaft and
surrounding soil; (4) the interaction between each bearing element; (5) the orientation of the
anchor; and (6) the embedment depth.
The objectives of the present paper are: (1) a more fundamental understanding of multi-
plate anchor behaviour and failure mechanisms, (2) a rigorous design methodology and
framework in the form of equations and design charts that can be used by practicing engineers.

Multi-plate anchor capacity theories

The ultimate pullout capacity of a multi-plate anchor was defined as a combination of (1) shear
along the slip planes extending vertically between the outside edge of the anchors and (2)
individual bearing capacity of the top anchor. Terzaghi’s (1943) bearing capacity theory was
generally adopted for estimating the individual bearing capacity of the top anchor. For strip plate
anchors in clay (u = 0), the ultimate pullout capacity/per unit length of a multi-blade anchor
using the ‘‘cylindrical shear” analogy is a combination of shear along the strip of soil between
the blades and bearing capacity of the top blade, given by:

The capacity of each plate can be estimated using the well known Terzaghi bearing capacity
equation. The total ultimate pullout capacity is the sum over n blades in clay, as given by:
Problem of anchor capacity
A general layout of the problem to be analysed is shown in Fig. 1, the total pullout capacity for
the anchor system can be expressed as a summation of the individual plate capacities and the
average ultimate bearing pressure for each anchor is:

Fig. 1. Problem definition

An anchor is classified as shallow if, at ultimate collapse, the observed failure mechanism
reaches the surface (Fig. 2a and b). In contrast, a deep anchor is one whose failure mode is
characterised by localized shear around the anchor(s) and is not affected by the location of the
soil surface (Fig. 2c and d).

Upper bound mechanisms for deeply buried multi-plate anchors

For a multi-plate anchor arrangement the situation is more complex due to the possible
interaction between plates. For a deep global failure mode that encompasses all the anchor plates
(i.e. S/B is small), there are three possible mechanisms. The mechanisms consist of several rigid
block and fan zones and it can be shown that:
 Fig. 2. Deep anchors behavior.

Finite element analysis

The displacement finite element software ABAQUS was used for solving this problem. The
ABAQUS model consisted of two parts: the anchor and the soil. A typical mesh for this problem,
along with the applied displacement boundary conditions, is shown in Fig. 3. The soil was
modelled as an isotropic elasto-perfectly plastic continuum with failure described by the Mohr–
Coulomb yield criterion. The elastic behaviour was defined by a Poisson’s ratio =0.49, and a
ratio of Young’s modulus to shear strength of E/c u = 400. Because the anchor is assumed to be
much stiffer than the soil it comes into contact with, the anchor was modelled as a discrete rigid
body.

3. Results and analysis

These results include numerical analyses to soil with no unit weight (single plate anchors
and multi-plate anchors in weightless soil) and multi-plate anchors in soil with weight (along
with the effect of overburden pressure). The result from further FE analyses which include
cohesion and soil weight, shown in Fig. 5 confirm that this is indeed the case. This conclusion is
in agreement with the observations of Rowe (1978) and Merifield et.al. (2001).

Fig.3 Typical finite element mesh Fig. 4 FE displacement contours for anchors
in weightless clay

Fig.5 Effect of soil weight on ultimate Fig. 6 Comparison of analytical and FE

pullout capacity – FE results (n=2,S/B=1) solutions for the limiting ultimate capacity of a
multi-plate anchors system cu=50kPa,
=15kN/m3, 0.4m, 0.2m, and 3m.
Fig. 5 shows that the ultimate anchor capacity increases linearly with overburden pressure up to a
limiting value. A summary of the ABAQUS and DLO (Discontinuity Layout Optimization)
numerical upper bound results for the limiting ultimate capacity of a multi-plate anchor system
can be seen in Fig.6. Results for two and three anchor plates (n= 2, 3) are shown in this figure.
A practical and straightforward design framework for plane strain multi-plate anchor foundations
buried in undrained soils has been presented to replace existing semi-empirical design methods
that are inadequate and have been found to be excessively under or over conservative. The
proposed method avoids the need to apply bearing capacity theory, which was derived initially
for surface footings, to the problem of anchor uplift. This approach is considered a significant
approximation. The new design framework is derived from a series of rigorous FE and DLO
upper bound analyses on a wide range of problems and has been verified through a practical
example. It has been derived for the case, where no suction forces exist between the anchor and
soil, and the capacity of the shaft has been ignored.

 Conclusions

The results indicate that the capacity of individual anchor plates within a multi-plate anchor
(where all blades are of equal width) are largely independent of the other anchors and dependent
only on the blade width, the soil strength and distance to the next blade (or surface in the case of
the top most blade). The exception to this rule is where a global deep mechanism forms
involving flow around from the top most plate to the base plate. This normally occurs when the
intermediate anchor spacing is small. Based on the above, the framework is able to encompass
the complex relationship between the various modes of failure, the anchor geometry, and the soil
properties with a straightforward procedure and also provides a generic basis for which other
anchor plate configurations (e.g. axi-symmetric) might be assessed.