Root System Evaluation for Multi-function Foundation Bio-Inspiration

Outcome/Accomplishment

Drawing inspiration from plant roots, John Huntoon and his colleagues from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Metropolitan State University of Colorado created a new ground-anchorage system, the intellectual property of which has been now licensed to a startup company. The team also developed software to test the performance of the new anchor system versus conventional anchors. These developments were supported by the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) headquartered at Arizona State University.

Impact/Benefits

Conventional anchorage systems have trouble staying in place where soil is weak or space is limited. The team not only showed that its new root-inspired system can resolve these issues, but they also developed ways to test its performance. The team’s developments go toward replacing conventional anchorage systems with new systems that better resist uplifting forces. 

Explanation/Background

The team conducted field-scale testing of this new root-inspired ground anchor system, showing the boost they received by drawing their design from nature. The anchor prototypes show improvements over conventional anchors in their material efficiency, ease of installation, and carbon dioxide emission reduction.

The team also developed an analytical actuation and pullout performance procedure as well as the software to implement this procedure. The team has now commenced finite element method (FEM) simulations of root-inspired ground anchor pullout performance in PLAXIS, a geotechnical engineering analysis computer program.

Image
Credit:
John Huntoon

Location

Tempe, Arizona

e-mail

Start Year

Energy and Sustainability

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Energy and Sustainability Icon

Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure

Lead Institution

Arizona State University

Core Partners

Georgia Institute of Technology, New Mexico State University, University of California, Davis
Image
Credit:
John Huntoon

Outcome/Accomplishment

Drawing inspiration from plant roots, John Huntoon and his colleagues from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Metropolitan State University of Colorado created a new ground-anchorage system, the intellectual property of which has been now licensed to a startup company. The team also developed software to test the performance of the new anchor system versus conventional anchors. These developments were supported by the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) headquartered at Arizona State University.

Location

Tempe, Arizona

e-mail

Start Year

Energy and Sustainability

Energy and Sustainability Icon
Energy and Sustainability Icon

Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure

Lead Institution

Arizona State University

Core Partners

Georgia Institute of Technology, New Mexico State University, University of California, Davis

Impact/benefits

Conventional anchorage systems have trouble staying in place where soil is weak or space is limited. The team not only showed that its new root-inspired system can resolve these issues, but they also developed ways to test its performance. The team’s developments go toward replacing conventional anchorage systems with new systems that better resist uplifting forces. 

Explanation/Background

The team conducted field-scale testing of this new root-inspired ground anchor system, showing the boost they received by drawing their design from nature. The anchor prototypes show improvements over conventional anchors in their material efficiency, ease of installation, and carbon dioxide emission reduction.

The team also developed an analytical actuation and pullout performance procedure as well as the software to implement this procedure. The team has now commenced finite element method (FEM) simulations of root-inspired ground anchor pullout performance in PLAXIS, a geotechnical engineering analysis computer program.