A numerical model for analyzing the behaviors of deep arrayed anchor groups in dense sand

Computer software is widely used to analyze the problem of geotechnical engineering. Likewise, anchor groups are extensively applied in infrastructure, especially for geotechnical engineering. This research adopted both numerical analyses and laboratory model tests to study the interactive behaviors of deep arrayed anchor groups in dense sand. A numerical model that considers both strain hardening and softening and volume dilatancy, named SHASOVOD model, was used to simulate the strain hardening-softening and the volume dilatancy of cohesion-less soils during shearing, and FLAC3D software was applied to perform numerical analysis. Numerical results show that the load-displacement behaviors calculated numerically are consistent with those measured by anchor tests. The interference induced by the 2*2 anchor group is less than that induced by the 3*3 anchor groups. When the spacing between neighboring anchors is small (e.g., the horizontal spacing is 4D, where D is the anchor diameter), the yielding zones of soil around the anchors are highly superposed. The average anchorage capacity of an anchor group is considerably smaller than that of a single anchor, and the efficiency of an anchor group is 80%. The superposition of yielding zones decreases as the horizontal spacing increases, and the behavior of each anchor in the anchor group is similar to the behavior of a single anchor when the horizontal spacings exceed 10D.