Abstract

This article presents a numerical based study on the vertical holding capacity of a typical finless torpedo anchor embedded in a pure cohesive isotropic sol considering setup effects. A strategy based on two axisymmetric nonlinear FE models is proposed. In these models, the soil is represented with continuous solid elements with both plane translational and pore pressure degrees of freedom, which allow the modeling of the strength regain of the soil after the installation of the anchor, ''i. e.'', the soil setup. The anchor is also modeled with solid elements. Moreover, the anchor-soil interaction is addressed with contact elements. Several analyses are conducted to evaluate setup effects and, additionally, a parametric study on different soil undrained shear strengths and coefficients of permeability is performed. The results obtained show that the permeability of the soil and its undrained shear strength play an important role in the setup process. An inverse proportional relationship is observed between consolidation time and the permeability coefficient of the soil. Furthermore, an analytical approach is calibrated with a reasonable agreement to the numerical results.