Horizontal pullout capacity of steel chain embedded in sand

Abstract

This paper presents the pullout capacity of steel chain embedded in pure sands using 1g lab-scale model test. The anchor chain made of steel is often embedded into sands connecting anchor to floating structures. Even though the lateral or vertical forces applied to the floating structures are resisted by both anchor and anchor chain, most research has focused on the capacity from the anchor system, not from the anchor chain. In the model test, a steel anchor chain was embedded into Jumunj in sands and horizontally pulled out to failure. The pullout capacity of the anchor chain was divided into frictional resistance and passive resistance, and the necessary factors to estimate each component were proposed using test results. It was found that the maximum pullout capacity of anchor chains increased as the embedment depth increased. The contribution of passive resistance to the total pullout capacity was calculated to be as much as 81~93%. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.