A Novel Drag Anchor Design for Enhanced Penetrability and Holding Capacity

Drag anchor is an appealing anchoring solution for a variety of floating structures due to its high holding capacity ratios and relatively low cost for installation. The holding capacity of a drag anchor is to a large extent dictated by the penetration depth achieved during installation. In hard soils, such as sand and stiff clay, the penetration depth of the drag anchor is often limited to about one fluke length due to the large soil resistance encountered on the shank. In this paper, a novel single-shank anchor design that greatly reduces the soil resistance on the shank is proposed in the hope of improving its penetration depth and consequently the holding capacity. To verify the design assumption, a series of three-dimensional finite element simulations using the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method are carried out. The results of the analyses in both sand and clay soils demonstrate superior penetrability and considerably improved holding capacity of the proposed single-shank anchor design.