Behavior of Granular Pile Anchors Against Uplift Forces and Heave Reduction: A Review

Granular pile anchors are a new technique generally adopted for the construction of structures for enhancing the strength of numerous poor soils, like loose sands, soft clays, etc. The enhancement in the compressive strength and uplift capacity of the granular pile anchor is based on the concept of friction which is mobilized along the periphery of pile–soil interface and the specific weight of the pile–footing structure. Granular pile anchors have been extensively used for the improvement in uplift capacities of weak soils by various researchers. The heave behavior of granular pile anchors has also been incorporated by various researchers. This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of advancements in granular pile anchors including experimental, analytical, numerical studies, and field investigations focusing on their responses to compressive, uplift, and heave responses along with the advantages and disadvantages of various studies. Further, a conclusion has been made and future possibilities of research toward GPA considering different soil granular material parameters have been proposed.