Behaviour of Mono-stud Anchor Plates Under Simulated Seismic Action

Abstract

Near to its official publication, Eurocode 2 part 4 (EN 1992-4) does not account for design of anchor plates under seismic action. Anchor plates, with cast in place fasteners, are commonly used in nuclear power plants to connect equipment to reinforced concrete structures. Such solutions provide a flat surface where the support of equipment may be welded, furthermore cast in place fasteners require no drilling holes thus avoiding additional sealing operations. Classic anchor plates typically use at least four fasteners, thus complicating the installation when high density of reinforcement is expected. New specific solutions with only one headed anchor are investigated in this paper: a more classic solution made with a single stud welded in the centre of the steel plate, and a more innovative one made with a piece of an IPE profile, welded in the centre of the steel plate. An experimental campaign was carried out by adapting existing European protocols for the assessment of post-installed anchors under seismic action. Static tests, pulsating tension load tests and tests with constant tension load and varying crack width were carried out in unconfined condition and in cracked concrete under different load conditions. Capacity reduction after cyclic tests is evaluated and compared with Concrete Capacity Design method (CCD) to prove its applicability as design method to these innovative solutions.