Loss in anchor embedment during plate anchor keying in clay

Vertically installed plate anchors have been investigated in this paper by numerical analysis and centrifuge modeling. In the numerical analysis, the large deformation finite-element method (remeshing and interpolation technique with small strain) was used to simulate strip plate anchor rotation. In the centrifuge model tests, transparent soils were used to observe square anchor rotation. The loss in anchor embedment during anchor keying was assessed for anchors in uniform and normally consolidated soils with anchor pullout angle varying from 30° to 90° to the horizontal. It was found that the loss in anchor embedment during anchor keying may be expressed in terms of a nondimensional anchor geometry factor, which is a function of the eccentricity of the padeye, angle of loading, and the net moment applied to the anchor at the stage where the applied load balances the anchor weight. However, once the anchor geometry factor reaches a certain value, the loss in anchor embedment stabilizes at 0.25–0.5 times the anchor width. The loss in anchor embedment decreases linearly with decreasing pullout angle. Simple formulae and design procedures have been proposed to estimate the loss in anchor embedment during keying.