Large Deformation Analysis of the Keying Process of Strip Plate Anchors in Clay

This study presents a series of large deformation analysis to investigate the keying behavior of strip plate anchors in normally consolidated (NC) clay with varying soil profiles during the keying process. To account for the influence of soil remolding on anchor behavior, a modified clay constitutive model is adopted. The large deformation finite-element (LDFE) analysis for keying behavior is based on series of small-strain analysis through remeshing and interpolation technique. The LDFE predictions are first validated against available experimental data, analytical solutions, and published numerical results, showing strong agreement. A comprehensive parametric study is then performed to examine the effects of initial embedment depth, soil sensitivity, eccentric loading, soil strength, and stiffness on the keying response of strip plate anchors. The LDFE results show that increasing the normalized soil strength leads to a decrease in the ultimate capacity factor, accompanied by a larger embedment loss corresponding to the peak pullout resistance. On the basis of equivalent soil strength and equivalent ultimate pullout capacity, a practical framework is developed for estimating the anchor keying behavior in NC clay with different strength profiles, providing useful guidance for engineering design.