Visual centrifugal model tests on capacity of anchor piles and displacement field around piles under oblique pull-out loads

The single-point mooring systems have been increasingly used as a new anchorage system. However, the capacity of anchor piles for single-point mooring and the deformation mechanism of soils around the piles under oblique pull-out loads are still unclear. Based on synthetic transparent sand, a visual centrifugal model test system is established to carry out the centrifugal model tests on the mechanical behaviors of the anchor piles under oblique pull-out loads. The effects of loading angle on the pulling resistance, failure mode and soil displacement field are discussed, and the model test results of the transparent sand under 1g condition are also qualitatively compared. The results illustrate that the centrifugal model tests on the transparent sand can be used to evaluate the pulling capacity and failure mechanism of the anchor piles and the internal displacement field of soils under the real stress state. The difference of displacement value of the surrounding soil with depth is obvious, and the relative large soil displacement occurs near the pad eye. The soil displacement field under 1g condition cannot rationally reflect the variation laws of soil displacement along the anchor piles, and the soil deformation value at the pile side under the ultimate resistance is less than that in the centrifugal model tests.