Rigidity – the missing
design component in base
plate design with fasteners
Christiaan Davel Pr Tech Eng
Head of Engineering
Inland and Energy & Industry
Hilti South Africa (Pty) Ltd
ChristiaanJohannes.Davel@hilti.com
INTRODUCTION
Anchor fastener technologies have de-
veloped significantly over the last couple
of years. As a result of new technologies
(especially for post-installed anchor
fasteners) that address construction chal-
lenges such as safety and productivity, a
large market for these fixings has devel-
oped. This is also true for South Africa.
Unfortunately, South Africa lags behind
other countries in providing national
design standards for the safe design of
these fixings. This has led to structural
engineers relying more and more on the
suppliers and manufacturers of these fix-
ings to assist with the design component.
There are various guidelines that
provide regulations for designing struc-
tural fasteners in concrete and other
base materials. The American Concrete
Institute (ACI) Standard ACI-318,
Building Code Requirements for Structural
Concrete, as well as Eurocode 2, Design
of Concrete Structures, Part 4: Design
of Fastenings for use in Concrete, are
among the best known and most widely
used codes when it comes to fastener
design in concrete. The Southern African
Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC)
also provides guidelines for designing
structural fastenings in concrete in its
28
(a) (b)
M M
Z Zreduced
Figure 1 The illustration on the left illustrates the general assumption that the base plate
behaves in a rigid manner compared with the illustration on the right, which shows
the effect of a decreased lever arm because of a flexible base plate
structural connection design publication What is “sufficiently rigid”?
(SAISC 2012). The SAISC guidelines are The guidelines mentioned above do not
conservative assumptions predominantly provide enough information on how a
derived from ACI 318. sufficiently rigid base plate should be
All the design provisions detailed achieved. Some research has been done
in the abovementioned codes provide to determine what design measures
calculations for forces on the anchors would provide sufficient rigidity, but in
based on a linear elastic theory. This a recent article in a structural journal
assumes that the base plate is sufficiently (Fitz, Appl & Geibig 2018), the authors
rigid to transfer the internal forces to the reviewed this research and concluded
fasteners in a linear elastic manner. In that there is no uniform and binding
other words, the base plate remains flat guideline on how sufficient rigidity
(without deformation) when subjected to should be achieved. Within the current
a bending moment as shown in Figures local South African framework and
1(a) and 1(b). In contrast to this, a flex- guidelines, the responsibility falls on
ible base plate will have a shorter lever the “competent person” to ensure the
arm and higher anchor forces, as well as validity of this “rigid base plate” assump-
increased concrete compression below the tion through a rational design method,
base plate. as outlined in the National Building
July 2019  Civil Engineering
Tension eccentricity parameters are calculated if the resultant tension
load is eccentric with respect to the anchors in tension. If the base plate
ends up not being rigid, the loads calculated to act on each fastener
might be un-conservative.
Regulations (Keuter 2008), as well as their
application (SABS 2008).
BASE PLATE DESIGN PROCEDURE
The first step in base plate design is to
define the area of the required base plate
as a function of the axial load and the
compressive strength of the concrete.
The next step is to calculate the internal
bending moments of the base plate and
the loads acting on the fasteners, as well
as to verify the bearing capacity based on
the size of the base plate. The required
thickness of the base plate can then be
determined as a function of the internal
bending moments, the forces acting on
the fasteners and the steel grade. It is
important to note that this approach uses
a linear analysis in the calculation which
therefore assumes a rigid base plate. The
component missing from this method is
determining whether the rigid assumption
is valid. The process of how to do this,
however, is not clearly defined.
FASTENER DESIGN REGULATIONS
Both ACI-318 and Eurocode 2, Part 4,
require verifications in different pos-
sible failure modes. The tension load
verifications include the following: steel
failure, concrete cone failure, pull-out
failure, combined pull-out and concrete
cone failure, concrete spitting failure,
as well as blow-out failure. The shear
load verifications require the following
failure verifications: steel failure, concrete
pry-out failure and concrete edge failure.
There is also a requirement to verify the
interaction between tension and shear, in
case the tension and shear forces act on
the connection simultaneously. As one can
see, most of the verification requirements
for possible failure modes are based on the
failure of the concrete and not of the steel
fastener itself.
The Eurocode 2, Part 4, method
is also sometimes referred to as the
Concrete Capacity Method (CC Method).
Both ACI-318 and Eurocode 2, Part 4,
require these checks for cast-in as well as
post-installed fasteners. In order to verify
thoroughly the resistance of fasteners
Civil Engineering  July 2019
according to these guidelines, software
packages are often preferred. Many
software packages that perform these
calculations are readily available, and
some of them include what is referred
to as “base plate calculations”. It is very
important to analyse what is performed
by these software packages when it comes
to base plate design, as well as base plate
and fastener interaction. It is important
to note that anchor or fastener design
software does not perform a base plate
design in the context of a normal column
base plate design. Most anchor design
software packages utilise the dimensions
of the base plate in combination with
the moments and loads acting on the
connection to determine the resultant
tensile and shear forces. The base plate is
assumed to be rigid so that linear elastic
analyses and load distribution can be
done to check the forces acting on each
fastener. The resistance of each fastener
is then calculated in accordance with the
failure modes verification in the above-
mentioned regulations. No check is done
to verify whether the rigid base plate
assumption is valid. Both regulations
(ACI-318 and EC2, Part 4) consider only
parameters relevant to a rigid fixture
assumption. This is especially important
to note since both regulations provide
guidelines on how eccentricity modifica-
tion factors should be applied. Tension
eccentricity parameters are calculated
if the resultant tension load is eccentric
with respect to the anchors in tension. If
the base plate ends up not being rigid, the
loads calculated to act on each fastener
might be un-conservative.
EFFECT OF INSUFFICIENT RIGIDITY
The question might be asked whether
this theoretical problem occurs in
practice and whether it has practical
implications. Figure 2 shows an analysis
done on a typical moment-resisting
connection – the base connection of
a structural warehouse. The analysis
compared the effects of a rigid base plate
(left) versus a flexible base plate (right).
The analysis investigating the validity of
29
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14 N/mm 2 various options that can be used to affect
1 1
3 3
5 5
2 2
4 4
6 6
The software gives the designer
the rigidity and, in turn, the forces on the
fasteners. These include increasing the
size of the profile to reduce the bending
moment on the plate or adding welded
stiffener between the profile and the plate.
An anchor fastener with a decreased stiff-
ness will also affect the rigidity of the base
plate. This provides the designer with the
option of checking a direct interaction
effect between the base plate and the
anchor, and vice versa.

0 N/mm2 CONCLUSIONS
Equivalent rigid baseplate (ODFM) Flexible baseplate (CBFEM)
Research has indicated that the rigidity of
Anchor tension forces
the base plate can have a significant effect
Anchor 1 92kN 110 kN (20%)
Anchor 2 92kN 110kN (20%)
on a design and needs to be considered
Anchor 3 26.9kN 37.1 kN (38%) when designing a structural base plate con-
Anchor 4 26.9 kN 37.1 kN (38%) nection. However, no clear and uniform
Anchor 5 0 kN 0 kN (–%) method of how rigidity of the base plate
Anchor 6 0 kN 0 kN (–%)
should be considered is available. This is
Baseplate plastic strain (max) None 0.01%
Baseplate deformation (max) 0.3 mm 1.1 mm
especially tricky when fasteners are de-
signed in conjunction with the base plate.
Hilti’s new Profis Engineering Software ad-
Figure 2 A
 n analysis done using Hilti’s Profis Engineering Suite to analyse the forces in a
base plate (left) that is assumed to act in a rigid manner compared with a realistic dresses this problem with its new advanced
assumption of how the base plate would actually behave and what effect that base plate module. This will also increase
would have on the anchor forces and on the base plate deformation the efficiency and safety aspect for the
designer, since both the anchor fasteners
what would have been the assumption load deformation behaviour of all these and the steel components of the connec-
if the above-mentioned procedure had individual components are required, while tions will be designed simultaneously. To
been followed (namely that the base plate also taking equilibrium and compatibility provide full transparency on this design
is rigid) confirmed the rigid assumption conditions into account. This is now pos- approach, Hilti will be offering software
to be invalid, suggesting that several sible with Hilti’s new Profis Engineering licences from 1 July 2019, combined with
components related to the design of this Software (Hilti 2019), which uses a accredited CPD training. 
connection require closer consideration. component-based finite element analysis
Some of these components include large model that verifies all the different REFERENCES
increases in the forces on the fasteners, elements of the structural connection Fitz, M, Appl, J & Geibig, O 2018. Comprehensive
deformation of the base plate, and an individually. Anchor loads are first cal- base plate and anchor design based on
increase in pressure under the base of the culated according to a linear elastic load realistic behavior: New design software
base plate. distribution that assumes the base plate to based on realistic assumptions [In German].
be rigid. They are then calculated on the Stahlbau, 87(12): 1179–1186.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH basis of realistic assumptions about the Hilti 2019. Hilti Profis Engineering Software.
It is evident that an alternative, holistic load displacements of the anchors through Available at: https://www.hilti.co.za/
approach is required when it comes to the finite element analysis module, also content/hilti/META/ZA/en/engineering/
base plate and anchor fastener design. considering equilibrium and compatibility software/PROFISEngineeringSuite.html
To assess the rigidity of the base plate conditions. The loads calculated in each [accessed on 10 June 2019].
accurately, all the various components of method are then compared and the actual Keuter, M 2008. National Building Regulations
the connections need to be considered, rigidity of the base plate and the effect and Building Standards Act, No. 103 of
including the welds, the steel profile, thereof can then be seen. The larger the 1977 (as amended), 2008 ed. Pretoria:
the stiffeners, the fasteners and the difference in load values between the two Government Printer’s Copyright Authority.
concrete. Realistic assumptions about the methods, the more flexible the base plate. SABS (South African Bureau of Standards)
2008. The application of the National
The software gives the designer various options that can be used to Building Regulations Part B: Structural
Design, 3rd ed. Pretoria: SABS.
affect the rigidity and, in turn, the forces on the fasteners. These include SAISC (Southern African Institute of

increasing the size of the profile to reduce the bending moment on the Steel Construction) 2012. Structural
steel connections: Limit state design.
plate or adding welded stiffener between the profile and the plate. Johannesburg: SAISC.

30 July 2019  Civil Engineering