Model studies of uplift capacity behavior of square plate anchors in geogrid-reinforced sand

Abstract

An experimental investigation into the uplift capacity of horizontal square plate anchors in sand with and without geogrid reinforcement is reported. The parameters investigated are the effect of the depth of the single layer of geogrid, vertical spacing of geogrid layers, number of geogrid layers, length of geogrid layers, the effects of embedment depth, and relative density of sand. A series of three dimensional finite element analyses model was established and confirmed to be effective in capturing the behaviour of plate anchor-reinforced sand by comparing its predictions with experimental results. The results showed that the geogrid reinforcement had a considerable effect on the uplift capacity of horizontal square plate anchors in sand. The improvement in uplift capacity was found to be strongly dependent on the embedment depth and relative density of sand. A satisfactory agreement between the experimental and numerical results on general trend of behaviour and optimum geometry of reinforcement placement is observed. Based on the model test results and the finite element analyses, optimum values of the geogrid parameters for maximum reinforcing effect are discussed and suggested.