Three-dimensional numerical analysis of large-scale horizontal square anchors in geogrid-reinforced sand

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical investigation of horizontal square anchors embedded in geogrid-reinforced sand. Prior experimental studies have demonstrated notable enhancements in anchor uplift capacity when placed below geogrid reinforcement in soil. However, these results are limited to small anchor plates tested in laboratory conditions with over-reinforced sand. In contrast, this study focuses on large field-scale anchors and explores the influence of anchor width, embedment depth, reinforcement size, stiffness, and tensile strength on uplift capacity. The findings reveal that the optimal size for geogrid reinforcement is three times the anchor width. A diminishing improvement in uplift capacity with increasing anchor width was observed. Additionally, deeper anchor embedment reduces the uplift capacity improvement in geogrid-reinforced sand. The geogrid reinforcement is found to be more efficient in the case of shallow anchors placed in loose sand. The major contribution of this paper lies in the response analysis of large anchors and providing a better understanding of the uplift mechanism in geogrid-reinforced sand.