The time–deflection behaviour of a rigid under‐reamed anchor in a deep clay layer

Abstract

AbstractThe behaviour of an under‐reamed anchor in a consolidating soil is examined by approximating the anchor as an impermeable circular plate embedded in a deep soil layer. Hankel and Laplace transforms are applied to the equations governing the consolidation process, and this greatly simplifies the equations, allowing a solution to be obtained for the transformed variables. Numerical inversion of both the Hankel and Laplace transforms is used to obtain the solution at any time.A particular feature of the solution method is that the unknown contact stress between the anchor and the soil and the unknown flows in the plane of the anchor are approximated as a series of simple functions with unknown coefficients. By determining the coefficients of the terms in the series, the complete solution may be found.Computations have been carried out using the method proposed, and results are presented for the time–settlement behaviour of an impermeable anchor. These results are compared with some published and some recomputed finite element data, and this highlights some of the difficulties encountered in using such numerical techniques.