Optimum Design of Buried Pipeline Block Anchors

摘要

The paper presents a simple procedure for the optimum design of a pipeline block anchor. The forces exerted by the soil on the block are computed using Rankine 's theory. The dimensioning of the block anchor is formulated as an optimization problem in which the objective function is the volume of the block to be minimized. The optimization constraints are related to block sliding, block overturning, and soil bearing capacity. The optimization problem is solved using Excel. Several examples are given to illustrate the steps of the design procedure. Simple relationships between the thrust force and the minimum required block dimensions are generated.