Vertical Uplift Capacity of Rectangular and Square Plate Anchors in Granular Soil under Seismic Forces

Abstract

ABSTRACT Earthquakes have unfavorable effects of reducing uplift resistance of plate anchors. Present work investigates the seismic vertical uplift resistance of shallow buried square and rectangular plate anchors in granular soil by using the upper bound theorem of limit analysis in combination with pseudo-static approach. The influence of shear transfer at the interface between anchor plate and overlying soil has been taken into account. The uplift resistance was evaluated in terms of dimensionless factors due to component of soil weight and surcharge pressure on the ground surface for varying combinations of parameters involved in the present analysis. Results revealed that seismic uplift factors increase continuously with increasing soil friction angle and embedment ratio of anchors; whereas, the same reduce with increasing acceleration coefficients, shear factor and aspect ratio of anchors. A significant reduction was observed for higher shear factor and earthquake acceleration coefficients, especially for lower soil friction angle and embedment ratio, and for higher aspect ratio of anchors.