Pullout behavior of single and clustered torpedo anchors☆

This paper deals with the determination of the load bearing capacity of single and clustered torpedo anchors installed in clay, for vertical and inclined pullout, by means of centrifuge tests. Undrained shear strength profiles were obtained using a T-bar on eight prepared clay beds. These profiles allowed normalization of the force values obtained experimentally in eleven pullout tests on single torpedo anchors and seventeen on clusters of two. The normalized force versus displacement curves for the 45 degrees inclined pullout exhibited higher force values than the 90 degrees vertical pullout. The tests of the clustered units presented the greatest efficiency for pullouts with a spacing of three times the total diameter around the fins of the torpedo anchor.