Grade 50 steel, and is usually square and flat, with 8- to 10-in. side dimensions and typical thicknesses of 0.75 to 1 in. Some soil nail bar manufacturers supply forged bearing plates that are concave at the drill hole, thus allowing some articulation of the connection in any direction. Most Contractors place the bearing plate against the still-fresh shotcrete of the initial facing. In this case, the bearing plate must be well-seated but not excessively embedded into the grout (Figure 3.3). Figure 3.3: Photo. Threaded solid tendon with steel plate, washer, and nut. Note headed studs for connection to final facing. Photograph courtesy of DYWIDAG-Systems International. Beveled washers with an angle matching the inclination of the nail are placed between the bearing plate and the nut to provide uniform bearing. Alternatively, spherical seat nuts are often used to facilitate alignment of the connection components. Nuts are tightened slightly with ahand-wrench, After the shoterete is set, care must be exercised to avoid over- tightening the nuts. Washers and nuts must meet the requirements of AASHTO M291/ASTM A563 Grade B. ‘The connection to the final facing typically consists of four headed studs that are welded to the bearing plate and embedded into the final facing. The welding must be performed according to the Structural Welding Code (ANSUAWS 2000). In general, the plate should be 36