A Numerical Study of Geogrid-Encased Granular Pile Anchor Subjected to Uplift Force in Cohesionless Soils Using PLAXIS 2D
摘要
Granular pile anchor (GPA) is a relatively new foundation technique that is found to be effective in resisting uplift forces in cohesionless soils. The cohesionless soils pose a lot of problems due to their liquefaction behavior and low shear strength some parts of western India, such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, are covered with layers of cohesionless soil. Due to the increase in population and the increase in per capita land demand, engineers have to construct various high-rise structures on cohesionless soils, which generally pose cracking problems in the buildings. The paper presents a numerical study utilizing FE analysis by PLAXIS 2D to assess the uplift performance of GPA in cohesionless soil, including a comparative analysis with geogrid-encased granular pile anchors (GGPA). The study investigates the influence of various parameters such as pile length (L), diameter (D), and relative density (RD) of surrounding sand on uplift load capacity (ULC) by applying a prescribed displacement of 10% of pile diameter at the bottom center of the anchor. The analysis evaluates how these parameters influence the resistance of GPA against uplift forces. Based on the numerical analysis, it is observed that the uplift capacity of GPA and GGPA increased with an increase in the length, diameter of the pile, and modulus of elasticity of the soil. Additionally, the ULC of GGPA is observed to be higher as compared to GPA due to increased frictional resistance between the geogrid and surrounding soil.