Effect of tie rod anchor on the behaviour of berthing structures

Berthing structures are constructed in coastal areas to accommodate the berthing and mooring of vessels. Tie rod anchors are provided in such structures in order to improve their performance and reduce deflection of the structure. In this study, various types of berthing structures (open and closed) were analysed with and without tie rod anchors. This paper presents the experimental results and their validation with numerical and analytical values. Further parametric studies were carried out to analyse the effect of tie rod anchors. The results imply that there is a considerable effect on the depth of fixity of the piles in open-type berthing structures when tie rod anchors are provided, whereas there is not much effect in closed-type berthing structures when tie rod anchors are provided.