Theme Workshop on Concrete for Coastal Environment - October 7-8, 2008 (NITK Surathkal, India) -

EUROPEAN APPROVALS OF CONCRETE ANCHORS: QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES AND TESTS

Christoph Mahrenholtz
Institute of Construction Materials, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 4, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany christoph.mahrenholtz@iwb.uni-stuttgart.de

ABSTRACT Postinstalled anchors are increasingly popular to fix structural (e.g. dampers, bracings) and non-structural systems (e.g. piping, equipment). This paper describes the qualification procedures and tests required to attain a European Technical Approval (ETA) for metal anchors suitable for concrete as the anchorage component. This approval is mandatory in Europe, since the design method for anchors is not covered in the current Eurocode (EC). Finally, special attention is tributed to earthquake related issues.

INTRODUCTION Postinstalled anchors have many advantages: Enabling the contractor a fast-track construction, since construction may start before the M&E is detailed. Avoiding time consuming welding (of questionable quality) on site what would be neccessary if embedded plates (EP) would be used. Offering the owner the possibility of re-using the facilty since the fixation of M&E remains flexible. Making retrofit measures possible in case a higher safety level is required to ensure the buildings earthquake resistance performance. The following figure is showing some examples for locations where postinstalled anchors are commonly used.

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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1 dampers 2 bracing 3 piping 4 equipment

1 2 3 4

Fig. 1: Application of anchors It is irrelevant for the design whether the anchor is part of the structural system or is fixing a nonstructural system. Commonly, the anchors are designed as a anchor group. Postinstalled anchors exhibit one of three different working principles under tension loading:

Bond

Friction

Mechanical Interlock

Fig. 2: Three different working principles of anchors under tension loading The working principle of chemical anchors is bond, which is transferred to the concrete by the hardened mortar based on different components and its chemical reaction after application. The working principle of expansion anchors is the friction, which is ensured by expanding a metal clip, inducing radial contact forces on the concrete. The working principle of undercut anchors is mechanical interlock, which must be generated either by the boring or by the installation procedure. The working principle in the latter case is comparable with the situation present when using headed stuts which is by nature is not a postinstalled anchor. In many countries, the construction law is not limited to the civil construction itself. In addition, all safety related construction products, i.e. anchors also, must be qualified. This ensures that the building and its components is fit for purpose, durable and safe.

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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In Europe, the design methods for anchors is not covered by the European standard, the Eurocode (EC). Therefore, anchors must be provided with a technical approval, the European Technical Approval (e.g. ETA-99/0009) to avoid special approvals by the construction authority on a case-bycase basis. Both, the design methods for metal anchors and the qualification of metal anchors is standardized by the European Technical Approval Guideline 001 (ETAG 001) [ETAG 001/1]. Following, the qualification of anchors according to the ETAG 001 is described.

QUALIFICATION It is beneficial for all involved parties anchor manufacturer, contractor, owner that newly designed anchors have to follow a standardized qualification before their release. Qualification means that the anchors are tested using standardized methods and granted an approval based on prescribed acceptance criteria. Before launching the qualification procedure, the anchor manufacturer has to determine the range of application. It is crucial, whether the anchor shall be rated in the catagory suitable for uncracked concrete only or in the catagory suitable for (uncracked and) cracked concrete. The following figure explains the difference.

Cracked concrete

Uncracked concrete

NR,cracked

NR,uncracked

Fig. 3: Anchors in uncracked and cracked concrete The range of application must be further detailed: Shall the anchors be used in an agressive environment, shall the anchor sustain cyclic load and shall the anchor be installable overhead? After clarifying the range of application, the test program is listing all required tests to achieve the desired approval. The test program contains tests for suitability and tests for admissible service conditions. The tests for suitability are established to check sensitivity to deviation from installation specification variations in the properties of the base material tolerances of the actual diameter of the drill bit stress-induced hydrogen embrittlement Thus, these tests reflect adverse conditions. The tests are executed in concrete with a crack width of w = 0.3mm and w = 0.5mm in case the anchor shall be categorized as suitable for cracked concrete. The pupose of tests for admissible service conditions is to derive
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the charakteristic tension load resistance NRk the charakteristic shear load resistance VRk the minimum allowable edge distance cmin and spacing smin ... These tests reflect normal conditions. The tests are executed in concrete with a crack width of w = 0.3mm in case the anchor shall be categorized as suitable for cracked concrete. Each test type comprises 5 individual tests to consider the scatter which is significant when using concrete as the anchorage component. The qualification of some anchor products require more than 500 individual tests for attaining the approval, depending on the range of application. Following, examples are given for some typical test setups.

Load cell Jack Ram Fixation Displacement transducer Anchor Crack Anchorage component
Fig. 4: Setup for tension test

Crack w

Time t Load N

Time t

Displacement transducer Fixation Anchor Jack Load cell Frame Crack Anchorage component
Fig. 5: Setup for shear test

Crack w

Time t Load V

Time t

At the tension and the shear test, the anchor is installed in the crack and loaded at a constant rate until failure. The load, displacement and crack width is recorded by means of load cells and displacement transducers. Due to the production process, concrete screws may be sensitive to stress-induced hydrogen embrittlement. The insensitivity is tested by a setup shown in the following figure. A constant tension load is applied on the installed anchor for 100h. The anchor head is submerged in a calcium

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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Theme Workshop on Concrete for Coastal Environment - October 7-8, 2008 (NITK Surathkal, India) -

hydroxide solution and a constant electrochemical potential is applied. If the anchor resisted the embrittlement, a subsequent pullout test is performed to determine the residual failure load.

Load cell Disc springs/jack Ram Fixation Counter electrode Reference electrode Anchor (Screw) = Working electrode Anchorage component Time t U=1200mV Ca(OH)2 Load N Time t Potential U

Fig. 6: Setup for embrittlement test In the context of corrosion it is important to note that safety-relevant components shall be fixed outdoors with anchors made out of stainless steel only. In highly corrosive environments such as coastal areas, anchors made out of high corrosion resistant (HCR) steel must be used. All the tests have to be executed by an independent testing institute (e.g. IWB, University of Stuttgart). Subsequently, a test report with the results is provided to an independent engineering office. The engineering office is checking the report and determines whether the criterias identified by the ETAG 001 are met. Beside the requirement that the load-displacement curves of one test series (test type) must be within one band of scatter, one significant citeria is the charakteristic of the loaddisplacement curve itself. The following figure gives some examples. Load N 1 2

Displacement s

Fig. 7: Charakteristic of the load-displacement curves The charakteristic of curve 1 and 2 is acceptable. In the contrary, curve 3 indicates an anchor with an inacceptable behavior either not suitable for uncracked concrete or poorely designed in general. If the anchor failed to comply with the criterias, the test program may be altered e.g. by reducing the range of application or the level of the charakteristic load.

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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Finally, the engineering office is verifying the charakteristic resistances NRk, VRk and other design parameters such as cmin and smin and an evaluation report is forwarded to a European construction authority. The European construction authority is checking the test report and the evaluation report. If all conditions and criterias are met, the anchor product is approved and an ETA will be granted. The above described procedure and tests neccessary for the approval of an anchor product is well established in Europe and is deemed to be appropiate. It is interesting to note that excitations due to earthquakes are not considered in the ETAG 001. A supplement for the ETAG 001 is under preparation but not yet finalized. Currently, the situation in the different countries of the EU is diverse. The US standard ACI 355.2 considers seismic excitations in terms of cyclic loading but not cyclic crack opening/closing. However, the German Construction Institute (DIBt) published a guideline for the judgement of anchors used in nuclear power plants (NPP Guideline) [DIBt, 1998], which considers earthquake excitations, including cyclic loading and cyclic crack opening/closing. An earthquakes causes significant cycling of load and cracks simultaneously. This has an impact on anchors being part of the structural system as well as on anchors fixing a non-structural system.

Earthquake load

1 dampers 2 bracing 3 piping 4 equipment 4 3 2

Fig. 8: Anchors subjected to earthquake excitations Recent researches [Hoehler, 2006/2] indicated that outside of plastic hinges, crack widths up to w = 0.8mm have to be anticipated during earthquakes. Due to feasibility reasons, the investigation on the behavior of anchors subjected to earthquake excitations is split into two separate tests, a cyclic loading test and a cyclic crack opening/closing test, see below.

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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Theme Workshop on Concrete for Coastal Environment - October 7-8, 2008 (NITK Surathkal, India) -

Load N Load V Structural Member Crack

Split

Load

Anchor Crack w

Fig. 9: Earthquake excitation of load on anchor and crack at anchor; split in separate tests The following figure shows the test setup for the cyclic crack opening/closing test. The residual ultimate is determined after the crack cycling.

Load cell Jack Ram Fixation Displacement transducer Anchor Crack Anchorage component
Fig. 10: Setup for cyclic crack opening/closing test While the understanding of the behavior of anchors, as well as the methods used for their qualification, have advanced significally over the past 30 years, relatively little information exists about the behavior of anchors under earthquake conditions. Currently, a collaborative Indo-German research program is on the way to reduce the number of unanswered questions.

Crack w

Time t Load N

Time t

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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Theme Workshop on Concrete for Coastal Environment - October 7-8, 2008 (NITK Surathkal, India) -

CONCLUSIONS The qualification procedure established in Europe ensures that not only the structure itself but the fixation of the secondary structure by means of anchors is fit for purpose, durable and safe. The qualification tests cover all adverse conditions an anchor might experience during installation or usage and therefore guarantee the suitability and admissible service conditions of an anchor. However, special attention has to be paid for the choice of the anchors material. In highly corrosive environments such as coastal areas, anchors made out of high corrosion resistant (HCR) steel must be used. However, the excitation by earthquakes is for the time being not completely considered. Further researches are required to fully understand the behavior of anchors subjected to earthquake excitations.

REFERENCES [ETAG 001/1] European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA): Leitlinie fr die europische technische Zulassung fr Metalldbel zur Verankerung im Beton. Mitteilungen DIBT, 28. Jahrgang Sonderheft Nr. 16, 31. Dezember 1997, Teil 1: Dbel-Allgemeines. Ausgabe Juni 1997; Anhang A: Einzelheiten der Versuche, Anhang B: Versuche zur Ermittlung der zulssigen Anwendungsbedingungen, detaillierte Angaben, Anhang C: Bemessungsverfahren fr Verankerungen (Guideline for European Technical Approval of Metal Anchors for Use in Concrete, 1997. Part one: Anchors in general. Annex A: Details of Test. Annex B: Tests for admissible service condition, detailed information. Annex C: Design methods for anchorages)= [DIBt, 1998] Deutsches Institute fr Bautechnik (DIBt) (1998): Verwendung von Dbeln in Kernkraftwerken und kerntechnischen Anlagen, Leitfaden zur Beurteilung von Dbelbefestigungen bei der Erteilung von Zustimmungen im Einzelfall nach den Landesbauordnung der Bundeslnder (Use of anchors in nuclear power plants and nuclear technology installations, guideline for evaluating fastenings for granting permission in individual cases according to the state structure regulations of the federal states of Germany), Deutsches Institute fr Bautechnik, Berlin, September, 1998 [Hoehler, 2006/2]: Behavior and Testing of Fastenings to Concrete for Use in Seismic Applications, 2006

Cristoph Mahrenholtz, University of Stuttgart, Germany

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