Design Guide for Pile-Driven Plate Anchors.

Abstract : A user guide is presented for designing and installing plate anchors in the sea bottom using conventional pile driving techniques. This permits use of low cost, highly efficient, mooring anchors to meet a broad range of mooring requirements, including hurricane moorings for ships or other floating structures. This technique is particularly appropriate for heavily congested or confined areas. The anchors are suitable for various bottom deposits, including soft organic silts, overconsolidated clays, dense sands, glaciated soils and corals. Vibratory and impact diesel hammers may be used with a retrievable follower section to insert the anchors into the bottom. They are then pull-tested either horizontally or vertically up to the design loads. This approach provides versatile, easily fabricated anchors, suitable for a variety of situations, that can be installed with readily available marine construction assets. (MM)