Numerical Investigation of Uplift Behaviour of Bell-Shaped Anchor in c-ϕ Soil

This paper depicts a detailed numerical study on bell-shaped anchor inserted in soil (c-ϕ soil) carried out using the finite element (FE) software ‘ABAQUS’. Bell-shaped anchors with varying bell diameters (0.125–0.3125 m) have been analysed to investigate the influence of its different governing parameters such as H/D ratio (depth of embedment/bell diameter of anchor), bell diameter (D) on the uplift capacity of the anchor inserted in soil. A 2D axisymmetric model has been considered for the analysis, where the anchor has been considered as linear elastic material and soil mass as elasto-plastic material. Data obtained from the laboratory experiments performed on CL types of soil have been used in the analysis. Results of the analysis indicate that the ultimate uplift capacity (UUC) of bell-shaped anchor increases proportionately with the bell diameter and also with an increase in the H/D ratio of the anchor. It has also been observed that beyond H/D values of 4, there is a reduction in the rate of increase in ultimate uplift capacity (UUC).