Chapter 17

P R E S T R E S S I N G AND T E S T I N G OF A N C H O R S

The purpose of prestressing an anchor is to create an elastic tension in the

free section of the steel anchor tendon with the aid of suitable stressing
equipment; in this way, the tendon section exerts a predetermined force on
the anchored structure.
The prestressing of an anchor provides a test of the anchor at the same
time. It confirms the suitability of the anchor type to some extent, it suggests
what future behaviour of the anchor can be expected and it indicates errors
in the design and installation of the anchor. Changes in the characteristics
of the ground and deviations from the anticipated installation conditions
can be the cause of substantial differences between the load-bearing capacities
of anchors at one and the same construction site. Hence, it is important to
subject each anchor at the site to a test.
The methods of prestressing, testing, and checking anchors are now
fixed by Standards and Codes in many countries [233 — 241]. The Standards
and recommendations differ in detail, but the basic procedures must take
account of the characteristics of the materials used and the safety demands
of the anchored structure, and are therefore the same everywhere.

17.1 STRESSING FORCES

Anchors may be stressed to the production load or the testing load. The
production load of an anchor is given by the working (admissible) force, Pw9
calculated according to the static analysis; the anchor must be able to sustain
this force throughout its entire service life. The production stressing of an
anchor usually corresponds to this force. The working force must be extended
by some safety margin before the anchor's ultimate state is reached, as
determined by the point of failure of one of its main components (breaking
strength failure), or the exceeding of the admissible deformation (e.g. yielding
failure of the tendon steel).
The safety margin is determined from the results of basic anchor tests, or
it is laid down by a standard code of practice drawn up in the country
concerned. A range of safety factor values, compiled from accessible Standards
and recommendations, is listed in Table 17-1: