| dc.description.abstract | Suction Embedded Plate Anchors (SEPLA) are vertically loaded anchors which are installed by using a suction caisson to the required embedment depth. The cost effectiveness, ease of installation and the accuracy of the installation makes it an attractive choice for deep to ultra-deep waters. After installation, SEPLAs are tensioned by mooring lines which will cause the anchor to move from its initial vertical orientation to its final orientation perpendicular to the loading direction. The keying process results in the loss of embedment which reduces the holding capacity of the plate anchors. A plasticity model was created to predict the keying trajectory, tension capacity and the embedment loss for a plate anchor. The soil is assumed to be normally consolidated undrained clay that obeys associated flow rule. The interaction of the anchor with the surrounding soil, interaction of the anchor chain and the interaction of the anchor chain with the soil is also considered in the model to predict the keying trajectory of the anchor.
The results obtained from the model are compared to existing centrifuge tests and finite element models. The model was found to have very good agreement with the finite element data and it had reasonable agreement with the centrifuge test results. A parametric study was performed to better understand the behavior of the anchor during the keying process. The effect of anchor geometry, thickness of the anchor, eccentricity at the padeye, the pullout angle on the surface of the water, type of anchor line, soil strength and sensitivity on the behavior of the anchor were studied. The effects of these parameters on the embedment loss, keying trajectory and capacity of the anchors have been calculated. | en |
