ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the following analytical methods that have been applied to characterizing anchor performance: plasticity theory, which is central to the various methods of the analysis. Analytical tools for characterizing anchor behavior include plastic limit analysis (PLA), cavity expansion methods, and finite element (FE) techniques. The PLA methods provide estimates of ultimate load capacity, which is central to many anchor problems; hence, they are prominent in research and design practice related to anchors. Plastic equilibrium deals with stresses in the soil mass at the yield state. Laboratory tests typically provide data on the yield stress for a single mode of loading such as triaxial or simple shear. A rigorous solution to a plastic equilibrium problem should at every point in the soil mass be statically admissible, kinematically admissible, and not violate the yield condition. The upper bound analysis presents assumed rigid-plastic soil behavior, which implicitly assumes that elastic deformations have no influence on ultimate pullout capacity.
