Plate anchors are used on many occasions for various types of offshore construction and maintenance works When these plate anchors are embedded in a soft clay and are subjected to sustained allowable loads, they may undergo creep This paper presents some recent laboratory model test results for the short-term net ultimate uplift capacity of a circular plate anchor embedded in a soft clay In the second phase of the present laboratory model tests, the anchor was subjected to sustained net loads which were less than the net ultimate uplift capacity to evaluate the creep effects with time All tests were conducted for shallow anchor condition. Based on the model test results, empirical relationships between the net load, rate of strain, and time have been developed.
In many Instances plate anchors are used in various types of offshore construction and maintenance works A number of laboratory and field test results are presently avoidable in the literature 10 estimate the net short-term ultimate uplift capacity of plate anchors embedded m clayey sod (e g, Alt, 1968, Kupferman, 1971, Adams and Hayes, 1967, Bhatnagar, 1969, Das, 1978, 1980, and Veslc, 1971) The results of most of these studies are summarized by Das (1990) When a plate anchor embedded m soft saturated clay IS subjected to a sustained net load Q> Qo> the anchor is likely It exhibit some creep (upward movement With time). The creep rate Will be a function of Q/Qo, cu, H/D, and also the type and amount of clay minerals present in the soil This is an important factor m the design of anchors m many offshore projects. At the present time, published literature related to the evaluation of the creep rate of plate anchors embedded in soft clay IS relatively scarce.