Probabilistic stability analysis of inclined strip anchors in spatially variable clay

The stability of plate anchors has attracted significant attention, but most existing solutions are derived using deterministic soil properties. This paper demonstrates how natural spatial variability affects the undrained pullout resistance of inclined strip anchors embedded in clays. Both vented and attached bases are considered. Analysis uses an adaptive finite element limit analysis with random field model in Monte Carlo framework. The pullout resistance statistics and failure mechanisms of shallowly and deeply embedded anchors are presented for different anchor inclinations. Safety factors to achieve target levels of failure probability are proposed for the inclined anchors. It is revealed that ignoring the random nature of clay strength gives rise to the overprediction of pullout resistance of inclined anchors and it is more pronounced for deep anchors under attached conditions. The anchor pullout resistance is closely associated to the failure mechanism consisting of several failure planes following the weak clay paths that rely on the spatial pattern of the random clay.