10
2.4 ANCHORAGE TO CONCRETE
The 2001 Supports Specifications document does not
address the design of anchorage to concrete. NCHRP Proj-
ect 17-10 proposed a revision to the 1994 AASHTO Sup-
ports Specifications and addressed the issue of anchor bolt
design, among other topics (10, 11). On the issue of anchor
bolt design, the topics addressed were anchor bolt materi-
als, allowable stresses, the use of hooked bolts, minimum
embedment length of headed cast-in-place anchor bolts, the
effect of edge distance, and the effect of spacing between
anchor bolts.
The latest American Concrete Institute (ACI) anchorage
procedure was evaluated. This procedure has been published
by a number of sources, including the ASCE (12), the Inter-
national Conference of Building Officials (13), and Cook (14).
The procedure was published as Appendix D in the 2002 edi-
tion of the ACI 318 Building Code Requirements for Struc-
tural Concrete and Commentary.
The research team obtained an updated copy of this proce-
dure, which includes the use of anchor bolts over 25 inches in
length outlined in document CB-30, dated June of 2000 (16).
This is the current state of the art in anchorage to concrete.
The procedure is presented in a LRFD format. Using a wind
load factor of 1.3 in accordance with ACI 318 (15), and the
appropriate strength reduction factors (φ) (16), the equations
have been converted for use in the Supports Specifications.
2.4.1 NCHRP Report 411 Recommendations
The 1994 edition of the Supports Specifications (2) con-
tains little information on the design of embedment length,
effect of edge distance, spacing of anchors, or fatigue of
anchors in tension (1). NCHRP Project 17-10 reviewed 17
documents and proposed a revision to the anchor bolt section
of the 1994 Supports Specifications. The project addressed
the following issues:
• Anchor bolt material,
• Allowable stresses, and
• The use of hooked bolts.
Appendix C was added to the report and addressed these
topics:
• Minimum embedment length of headed cast-in-place
anchor bolts,
• The effect of edge distance, and
• The effect of spacing between anchor bolts.
However, Appendix C was not included in the 2001 AASHTO
Supports Specifications (4).
2.4.1.1 Anchor Bolt Materials
The 1994 Supports Specifications allowed many different
types of anchoring materials, including anchor bolts, bolts
made from reinforcing steel, and other threaded materials (1).
NCHRP Report 411 proposed that anchor materials be lim-
ited to grades 36-, 55-, and 105-ksi steel because of informa-
tion from AASHTO M314 and other ASTM standards.
Tension in the anchor bolt is resisted by bearing of the
embedded anchor end on the concrete. The bearing area may
be provided by one of the following:
• Headed bolt,
• Headed bolt with washer,
• Nut,
• Nut with washer, and
• Hook of bent bolt.
2.4.1.2 Allowable Stress
NCHRP Report 411 compared the allowable tensile and
shear stresses in the current Supports Specifications to those
in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) man-
ual. The failure mode of the 1994 Supports Specifications is
based on the yield stress and tensile stress area. It allowed for
a tensile stress of 50% of the yield stress and an allowable
shear stress of 30% of the yield stress. In the AISC ASD pro-
cedure, the allowable tensile stress is limited to 33% of the
ultimate stress, and the allowable shear stress is limited to
17% of the ultimate stress (17). This limit differs from steel
design in the AISC LRFD manual, which bases its failure on
ultimate strength and nominal area (18). NCHRP Report 411
recommended that the current Supports Specifications allow-
able stresses remain at 50% of yield stress (Fy ) for tensile
loads because it was the more conservative value (1). This
cautious approach seemed appropriate because of the lack of
information at the time that the report was written.
2.4.1.3 Use of Hooked Bolts
NCHRP Report 411 recommended the use of headed
anchor bolts over hooked bolts, but allowed hooked bolts up
to 55-ksi steel, since research showed that hooked anchor
bolts made from higher-strength steel did not develop their
full tensile strength. Headed bolts give much more efficient
pullout strengths than hooked bolts because hooked bolts can
straighten and pull out under high tensile loads, and crushing
in the concrete occurs at the area of the hook. It also noted that
AISC LRFD (18) states that high-strength steels are not
recommended for use in hooked bolts because bending with
heat might materially alter the steel’s strength. Also, ACI
355.1R-91 states that hooked bolts have been known to
straighten out in pullout tests, and headed anchors of the
same size and length have significantly higher capacities (19).