RESUMO
This paper presents the technical background for the seismic qualification procedures for post-installed anchors in the European Technical Approval Guideline (ETAG 001) seismic annex issued in 2013. We discuss requirements for a comprehensive guideline and reference supporting documentation. Numerical studies to generate new simulated seismic protocols for anchors are summarized with focus on their application to Europe. To reduce the time and cost of anchor product qualification testing while fulfilling the requirement of European building codes to assess two performance categories, we combine the results of our numerical studies to generate novel testing protocols that allow for the assessment of anchor behavior at multiple levels in a unified protocol. Validation tests demonstrate that the unified protocol results in anchor performance comparable with that achieved in multiple, single-performance-level tests.
RESUMO
Cyclic loads are a characteristic feature of actions acting on structures and anchorages during earthquakes. For this reason, seismic qualification of post-installed concrete anchors according to the internationally recognized American Concrete Institute (ACI) standard ACI 355 is based on cyclic load tests. The protocols for these tests, however, have limited scientific basis. Therefore, in the present paper newly-developed test protocols with stepwise-increasing load amplitudes are utilized to more realistically evaluate anchor seismic performance. The study focuses on the load-displacement behavior of common anchor types installed in cracked concrete and subjected to both cyclic tension and cyclic shear actions. The results confirmed robust behavior for anchors loaded in cyclic tension even in the presence of crack widths in the anchorage material larger than currently required by ACI 355. In addition, the critical influence of low cycle fatigue on the performance of anchors loaded in cyclic shear is demonstrated.