An innovative booster for dynamic installation of OMNI-Max anchors in clay: Physical modelling

An innovative booster concept is proposed to increase both the kinetic and potential energies and hence to increase the penetration depth of the OMNI-Max anchor within the clayey soil with high strength gradient. This paper carried out lg model tests to investigate the working efficiency of the booster on the anchor penetration depth both in normally consolidated (NC) and lightly over-consolidated (LOC) soils. The similarity relationships of the anchor dynamic penetration within the soil were first deduced, and then a series of dynamic penetration tests were performed to investigate the parameters that influence the anchor penetration depth. The parameters include the soil strength characterisation, impact velocity, booster weight, inclined impacting angle, and water drag and entrainment effects. The anchor dynamic penetration process within the soil was measured by a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer, through which the soil strain-rate effect and the hydrodynamic aspects including the water drag force and potential water entrainment along the anchor-soil interface were analysed. Finally, energy-based and force-based prediction models were put forward to estimate the penetration depths of OMNI-Max anchors and hybrid anchors (i.e. an OMNI-Max anchor with a booster).