Uplift behaviour of axial granular pile anchor encased with geogrid in cohesionless soil

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a cost-effective foundation technique for the design of foundations of transmission towers, heavily loaded structures, etc. Design/methodology/approach Experimental model tests are conducted in a model test tank to find out the effect of length and diameter of geogrid encased granular pile anchors, the relative density of sand and the angle of inclination of the pile from the vertical on uplift behavior of granular pile anchors. Findings The uplift capacity of the geogrid encased granular pile anchor increased with increasing length and diameter of granular pile anchor. Further, increasing the relative density of surrounding soil increased uplift capacity of geogrid encased granular pile anchor system. Moreover, increasing the angle of inclination of loading also increased uplift capacity of whole system. Thus, the proposed system can be effectively used in field for further applications. Originality/value The paper is helpful for the engineers looking for cost-effective foundation techniques for heavily loaded structures.