Three-dimensional analysis of inclined anchors in reinforced sand

Inclined anchors are used in civil engineering structures where the foundations are expected to resist pullout forces during their operational period. This paper presents a three-dimensional numerical analysis of inclined anchors placed in unreinforced and reinforced sand. The influence of several parameters on the response of inclined anchor plates has been investigated in this study. Results indicate that geogrid reinforcement placed on top of the anchor plate significantly influences the anchor plate's performance. The ultimate pullout capacity is found to increase with the inclination angle (varied from 30 degrees to 60 degrees) of the anchor plate both in unreinforced and reinforced sand. The anchor capacity is also affected by other parameters such as friction angle of sand (varied from 35 degrees to 45 degrees), embedment depth of the anchor plate (varied from 2 to 10) and tensile stiffness of the geogrid. Besides, the comparison between piles and anchors has been presented with the help of an illustrative example of a transmission tower foundation. The design calculations indicate that inclined anchors placed in reinforced sand can lead to economical design at shallow depth as compared to piles.