Granular anchors are a relatively new concept in ground engineering with relatively little known regarding their load–displacement behaviour, failure modes, ultimate pullout capacity, and also potential applications. A granular anchor consists of three main components: a base plate, tendon, and compacted granular backfill. The tendon is used to transmit the applied load to the base plate, which compresses the granular material to form the anchor. A study of the load–displacement response and ultimate pullout capacity of granular anchors constructed in intact lodgement till and made ground deposits is reported in this paper. Parallel tests were also performed on cast in situ concrete anchors, which are traditionally used for anchoring purposes. A new method of analysis for the determination of the ultimate pullout capacity of granular anchors is presented and verified experimentally, with the dominant mode of failure controlled by the column length (L) to diameter (D) ratio. Granular anchors with L/D > 7 principally failed by bulging whereas short granular anchors failed on shaft resistance, with the latter mobilizing similar pullout capacities as conventional concrete anchors.
Ground treatment of soft soil deposits by prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) is a common practice in geotechnical engineering. The PVDs accelerate the consolidation process and help to rapidly increase the strength and stiffness of soil. Certain operational problems, such as clogging, are inherent to PVDs. The fine particles in the soil may become entrapped within the fibers of the filter, i.e. the geotextile, surrounding the PVD. If the pores of the filter sleeve are clogged, the discharge capacity of the PVD reduces and, consequently, the consolidation process is impeded. In this paper, a numerical study is carried out to investigate the effect of PVD geotextile filter clogging on the rate of soil consolidation. The rate of consolidation decreases with increasing clogging and is a function of the location of the clogged area in the PVD. In the parametric study, the PVD was sequentially clogged and its effect studied. The effect of smear was also included in the analysis.
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