Uplift Capacity of a Plate Anchor Considering Suction Effects

Anchors have been commonly used to as foundation systems of the structures that require the uplift resistance. Recently anchors have been used in ocean sediment for mooring systems to stabilizeoffshore structures. In the saturated clayey soil however, suction developed between the soil and anchor and affects the uplift capacity of anchor. To estimate the uplift capacity of the anchor accurately, the failure mechanisms of the anchor by the uplift force should also be correctly assumed. The uplift capacity is usually expressed in terms of breakout factors with respect to embedment ratio. In this paper, a two-dimensional plane strain numerical investigation into the vertical uplift capacity of a plate anchor in a clayey soil is described. The breakout factor against their corresponding values of embedment ratio was calculated and plotted along a single curve. The modes of failure mechanism at shallow and deep anchors are also presented.