July/August 2023 - 109

A regular column showcasing successful
best practices for sustainable foundations
Root-Inspired
Ground Anchors
The Challenge
Cement and steel production are among
the most emissions intensive industrial
processes performed on a large
scale. One pound (0.45kg) of cement
produced generates around 0.8 lb
(0.4 kg) of CO2 emissions and North
American steel production generates
around 1.4 lb (0.6 kg) CO2e per pound of
steel. How can the deep foundations
and earth retaining industry reduce
emissions associated with the use of
these materials?
The Solution
One way to reduce cement and steel
consumption is by deploying these
materials in a more efficient way.
Through the process of bio-inspired
design, researchers at the Georgia
Institute of Technology have developed
a novel ground anchoring technology
that endeavors to reduce the cement
and steel consumed by an anchoring
FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Pullout set up
project, while also remaining costeffective.
So-called root-inspired
ground anchors do this by mimicking
the structure and anchoring efficiency
of fibrous plant root systems. The rootinspired
geometry of these anchors
increases the capacity (bond strength)
of an anchor giving it either greater total
capacity or a shorter total length
compared to conventional anchors.
The Results
Prototype
By considering the typical length of
conventional ground anchors and the
anticipated field-scale performance of
root-inspired ground anchors, it is
estimated that adopting the bioinspired
system may reduce required
anchor lengths by around 30% on
average. This corresponds to a reduction
in CO2 emissions for each anchor
installed of around 240 lb (110 kg),
approximately 25% of total emissions for
ground anchors. This is made possible
by reductions in cement used (~ 200 lb
[90 kg]), steel used (~ 25 lb [10 kg]) and
drilling equipment operation time
(about 30%, or 60 lb [27 kg] CO2e). Future
ground anchor projects may have the
option to reduce their carbon footprint
in a meaningful way by choosing to use
root-inspired ground anchors.
Installing root-inspired ground anchors in
place of conventional ones could save
around 180,000 T (171,500 metric
tonnes) of CO2e per year, about the same
as removing 35,000 cars from the road.
AUTHORS John Huntoon, EIT, BioBilt Infrastructure Systems, and J. David Frost, Ph.D., P.E., Georgia Institute of Technology
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * JULY/AUG 2023 * 109

July/August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2023

TOC
July/August 2023 - Intro
July/August 2023 - 1
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July/August 2023 - TOC
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