Consolidation-induced improvements in plate anchor capacity

Plate anchors are an attractive technology for mooring floating facilities; as relative to piles, suction caissons, and drag anchors, they provide a much higher capacity relative to their mass. Plate anchors may experience an extreme loading event that will cause geotechnical failure, although they will still retain a residual capacity. The displacement associated with bringing the anchor to failure will induce excess pore pressures that initially reduce soil strength but will dissipate over time, leading to regains in soil strength and hence anchor capacity. This paper considers the time scales and magnitude of this anchor capacity regain through a series of model scale experiments conducted in a geotechnical centrifuge. The experiments involved vertical loading of pre-embedded horizontally orientated circular anchors in normally consolidated kaolin clay. The results show that anchor capacity regain is a function of consolidation time and the level of resistance maintained on the anchor, with the longest consolidation time and highest maintained resistance leading to a capacity regain of approximately 60%. These capacity increases are described here using a simple hyperbolic function, which provides a basis for estimating the time needed for the residual anchor capacity to regain sufficient capacity following a movement event.