Field Pull-Out Tests of Percussion Driven Earth Anchors (PDEAs)

Percussion driven earth anchors (PDEAs) are driven into soils using an installation steel hammer rod. PDEAs are relatively easy to install and have gained wide applications recently. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planned to use these anchors for slope stability mitigation along the Clear Fork Trinity River at Interstate Highway 20 (IH-20) in Benbrook, Texas. However, there are no straightforward design and construction guidelines for these systems. In addition, the pull-out capacity and failure mechanisms of PDEAs in clayey soils have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, three PDEAs, Duckbill model 138 II (DB-138 II), were installed and tested on the proposed west channel bank slope to acquire the ultimate pull-out capacity. The anchors were embedded to an average depth of 10 feet into the slope bank, predominantly consisting of sandy lean clay (CL) soil. The slope was graded at an average 2:1 to 2.5:1 configuration. After installation, the anchors were subjected to an upward pull-out force using a hydraulic jack system to measure their pull-out capacity. The pull-out load, displacement, and strains were continuously recorded with a load cell, a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), and a strain gauge, respectively. Pull-out load versus displacement curves were produced and analyzed to determine the behavior of the anchors. An empirical estimation method was then chosen to estimate pull-out capacity based on undrained shear strengths obtained either from laboratory tests or in situ Texas cone penetration (TCP) data. The comparison between estimated and field-obtained pull-out capacities showed that the pull capacity estimated using TCP data resulted in reasonably good agreement with the field-obtained capacity. The field experiment results help us to understand the relationship between the calculated and actual field pull-out resistance when PDEAs are used in clayey soil slopes.