An experimental investigation of the uplift behaviour of relatively large scale model circular plate anchors up to 400 mm in diameter embedded in loose, medium-dense, and dense dry sand is described. Uplift capacity is strongly influenced by anchor diameter, embedment ratio, and sand density. In tests on shallow half-cut models, a gently curved rupture surface emerged from the top edge of the anchor to the sand surface at approximately ϕ/2 to the vertical, where ϕ is the angle of shearing resistance. For a deep anchor, a balloon-shaped rupture surface emerged at 0.8ϕ to the vertical immediately above the anchor and was confined within the sand bed. The load-displacement behaviour of full-shaped models was three-phase and two-phase for shallow and deep anchors, respectively. Alternative methods of determining the critical embedment ratio are considered, and values of 4.8, 5.9, and 6.8 are proposed for loose, medium-dense, and dense sand, respectively. Empirical equations are presented which yield breakout factors similar to those from many published laboratory and field studies.Key words: circular anchor, uplift capacity, sand, critical embedment ratio, failure mechanism.
Experimental and numerical investigation of the uplift capacity of plate anchors in geocell-reinforced sand