Design optimization of plate anchor for offshore foundation systems

Plate anchors are widely employed in offshore engineering to moor floating structures, subsea systems, and marine renewable energy devices. In high-capacity applications, conventional plate anchors typically require relatively large thicknesses to ensure adequate bending resistance and limited deformation under soil pressure, resulting in increased weight, material consumption, and cost. This study proposes a novel stiffened-plate anchor configuration to reduce the main plate thickness while maintaining satisfactory structural performance. A two-stage numerical methodology was adopted to evaluate the bending behavior of both conventional and proposed designs for a representative case study. Initially, simplified beam-based analyses were conducted in SAP2000 to estimate the section modulus requirements and assess the global structural response. Subsequently, detailed three-dimensional finite element simulations were performed using Abaqus to capture stress distribution, deformation patterns, and local effects. The results indicate that the proposed plate anchor achieves acceptable structural performance without failure while significantly improving material efficiency. In particular, the design results in approximately 54% reduction in material usage compared to the conventional configuration, leading to substantial cost savings and enhanced efficiency in transportation and installation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the proposed plate anchor offers a structurally efficient and economically attractive alternative to conventional designs for offshore applications.