Design, Testing, And Construction Of “TMD” Ground Anchors Narrows Bridge Duplication, Perth, Western Australia

Temporary, high capacity ground anchors were used to provide the necessary reaction for a static pile test on the Narrows Bridge Duplication Project in Perth, Western Australia. The test pile site was adjacent to the Swan River foreshore and the ground strata comprised of loose silty sands over soft to firm clay. In order to provide the necessary capacity, and avoid the costs associated with the installation of anchors up to 40.0 m in length, TMD or “Tube A’ Manchette” post grouted anchors were constructed with the fixed anchor length in the upper loose sands. This paper describes the geotechnical design, construction and stressing of the anchors that were successfully utilised to resist the maximum test load of 7.2 MN with no measured uplift of the pile test reaction frame supports.