The response of a suction anchor group to various applied loadings.

Tan, Lam Wing

Abstract

The results of a study of the behaviour of buried suction anchors tested singly and in a group arrangement are presented and discussed. The tests were conducted in saturated granular soil, contained in a 1.8 m diameter tank, in both loose and dense states. The model anchors and the test apparatus were instrumented so that the pore pressure distribution due to puitping, the water flow rate, and anchor load and displacements during the tests could be measured. Pull-out tests under vertical loading være conducted on single anchors, of two geometries, at burial depths up to 11.3 times anchor diameter. It is shown that for a given geometry of model anchor and suction pressure a common relationship exists between uplift load and relative movement curves with burial depth, from which it can be shown that the instantaneous uplift load increases uniquely and linearly with instantaneous cavity suction pressure. This discovery enabled the formulation of equations for the estimation of break out force for model and field anchors. Pull-out tests on a group of three model anchors under vertical loading were carried out at burial depths between 3.3 and 10.3 times anchor diameter and at various horizontal spacings. The response of the anchor group to inclined loads applied in different directions was studied for two anchor burial depths. Vertical group efficiency is found to increase with increasing depth, from about 100% at shallow depth to 200% at deeper depth. Interactions of the pore pressures between the anchors in the group are reported. Under inclined loading, group efficiencies ranging from 22% to 200%, depending on burial depth and on direction and angles of loading, are recorded. Studies on the uniformity and repeatability of preparation of beds of saturated sand by use of a jet pump, vibration and a strain gauge penetrometer are described.

Citation

TAN, L.W. 1984. The response of a suction anchor group to various applied loadings. Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, PhD thesis. Hosted on OpenAIR [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-1993258

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 16, 2024
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-1993258
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1993258
• Award Date: Feb 28, 1984