Development of a p-wave transponder system for tracking buried objects in 1-g and geotechnical centrifuge models

Abstract

Locating and tracking buried objects underground can be a difficult task especially in the case of plate anchors in soft clays. These plates, used offshore, gain their large vertical capacity by being embedded deep into the seafloor. Most commonly they are installed by either dragging horizontally tens to hundreds times their fluke length (drag embedment anchors) or by a suction caisson, which is then removed, and then dragging the anchor multiple fluke lengths, (suction embedded plate anchors). They can be extremely cost effective given their capacity to weight ratios, but they also have significant uncertainty in their capacity since plate anchor installation depths are exceedingly difficu..