Assessing the penetration resistance acting on a dynamically installed anchor in normally and over consolidated clay

Predicting the final embedment depth of a dynamically installed anchor is a key prerequisite for reliable calculation of anchor capacity. This paper investigates the embedment characteristics of dynamically installed anchors in normally and over consolidated clay through a series of centrifuge tests involving a model anchor instrumented with a MEMS accelerometer, enabling the full motion response of the anchor to be established. The data are used to assess the performance of an anchor embedment model based on strain-rate-dependent shearing resistance and fluid mechanics drag resistance. Predictions of a database of over 100 anchor installations â formed from this study and the literature â result in calculated anchor embedment depths that are within Âą15% of the measurements. An interesting aspect, consistent across the entire database, relates to the strain rate dependence on frictional resistance relative to bearing resistance. The predictions reveal that strain rate dependency may indeed be higher for frictional resistance, although only if a soil strength lower than the fully remoulded strength is considered as the reference strength, which suggests that water may be entrained along a boundary layer at the anchor-soil interface during installation.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author