Uplift Behavior of Horizontal Anchor Plates in Sand

Abstract

The influence of anchor geometry, embedment, and soil density on the uplift capacity of one‐meter prototype anchors is investigated by subjecting 25‐mm models to an acceleration of 40 g in the Liverpool centrifuge. Uplift resistances expressed as dimensionless breakout facctors increase significantly with anchor embedment and soil density but reduce with increased aspect ratio. Failure displacements also increase with embedment but reduce with increased soil density and aspect ratio. The influence of anchor geometry is relatively insensitive to anchor size but increases with both embedment ratio and soil density. In general, the design approaches considered underestimate the observed capacity of one‐meter strip anchors in dense sand, although predictions using the Meyerhof and Adams and Rowe and Davis theories are acceptable. However, both these approaches appear overoptimistic for anchors in looser sand. In this case, Vesic's theory gives the closest agreement, while the formula of Majer yields overly conservative designs. Pull‐out capacities for isolated anchors may be obtained from the strip values in combination with the empirical shape factors reported in this research.