Influence of the installation process on the performance of suction embedded plate anchors

This paper describes a series of centrifuge tests performed in order to investigate the influence of the installation process on the capacity of a suction embedded plate anchor. A 1/145th reduced scale model suction caisson and plate anchor were used for this purpose, embedded in a normally consolidated clay sample. The full installation and retrieval process was simulated as well as loading of the anchor to failure. Results are compared with similar pullout tests where the anchor was pre-embedded manually in the sample. The keying process and the anchor capacity were also investigated. Results show a loss of performance of the suction embedded anchor immediately following the retrieval of the caisson due to weakening of the clay in the vicinity of the anchor. As the clay regains strength with time, the anchor capacity increases to match those of the jacked anchors. The normalised anchor capacity following consolidation agreed well with theoretical solutions. The loss of anchor embedment during the keying process was observed to be lower for the suction embedded anchors than for the jacked anchors, but both sets of data correlated closely with the load inclination at the anchor padeye.