Brp. Kumar et Nr. Rao, Increasing pull-out capacity of granular pile anchors in expansive soils using base geosynthetics, CAN GEOTECH, 37(4), 2000, pp. 870-881
Granular pile anchors are innovative and effective in resisting the uplift
pressure exerted on the foundation by a swelling expansive soil. In a granu
lar pile anchor, the foundation is anchored at the bottom of the granular p
ile to an anchor plate with the help of a mild steel rod. This renders the
granular pile tension-resistant and enables it to offer resistance to the u
plift force exerted on the foundation by the swelling soil. This resistance
to uplift or pull-out load depends mainly upon the shear parameters of the
pile-soil interface and the lateral swelling pressure of the soil, which c
onfines the pile radially and prevents it from being uplifted. The resistan
ce to uplift can be increased by placing a base geosynthetic above the anch
or plate so that it forms an integral part of the granular pile anchor. The
increase in resistance is due to the friction mobilized between the geosyn
thetic and the confining media when the uplift load acts on the pile and th
e geosynthetic moves along with the pile. Hence it depends on the friction
between the geosynthetic and the confining media and the area and stiffness
of the geosynthetic. This paper discusses the effects of these parameters
on pull-out load, rate of heave, and relative ground movement near the pile
surface.