Onshore Structural & Civil Engineering Effective Date: 07 Jan 03
Design Manual - Section: 2.2.7 Bill Miller
Capacity Calculations
ANCHOR BOLT CAPACITY CALCULATIONS
Anchor bolt capacities are based on the anchor bolt assemblies as detailed on Technical Standard
C17-2TS and recommendations of ASCE’s “Wind Loads and Anchor Bolt Design for Petrochemical
Facilities.”
• Anchor bolt capacities shall NOT be increased for wind or earthquake conditions.
• Loading for the design of anchoring systems shall be service (non factored) loads.
SHEAR
1. Shear may be carried by the following mechanisms.
• Friction due to net compression
• Anchor bolts
• Embedments such as shear keys
2. Frictional resistance shall be considered as the primary mechanism to transfer shear providing
that a compressive load exists under all loading combinations. The resistance on concrete or
grout shall be calculated as 0.55 times the minimum compressive load. Frictional resistance
shall not be utilized in seismic areas.
3. When the design shear exceeds the frictional capacity, all shear should be assumed to be
carried by the anchor bolts. Each bolt should carry shear in proportion to its cross sectional
area. Anchor bolts whose capacity are limited by edge distance may be neglected.
4. When shear keys are used, they should be sized to carry the entire anchorage shear, because
shear keys are stiffer than anchor bolts in shear.
5. The allowable shear load on unreinforced
concrete, Vs, for all types of anchor bolts is
based on the projected shear wedge area.
6. The shear wedge area is based on the edge
distance and bolt spacing.
When the shear wedge is not limited by bolt
spacing the total area for one bolt is:
Aw = Ed²
When the shear wedge is limited
by bolt spacing (i.e. Ed > ½ Bs)
deduct the following for each
limited side.
½(Ed - ½Bs)²
7. The absolute maximum shear is
based on the bolt material and
shall not be exceeded.
Vb = 0.17 Fu x (Bolt Nominal Area)
8. Shear may be increased 2.0 kips
for each #3 tie in the shear wedge.
TENSION
1. The allowable tension strength on unreinforced concrete for all types of anchor bolts is based
on the projected area of the tensile pyramid.
2. The projected area is based on the edge distances and half the bolt spacings but not to
exceed the embedment length. Also see Design Manual Section 2.2.6 “Anchor Bolt Pattern
Arrangement”
Corner Bolt AT = ( Ed1 + ½BS1 ) ( Ed2 + ½B S2 ) - 2.25d²
Ringwall Bolt AT = ( Ed1 + Ed2 ) ( ½BS1 + ½BS2 ) - 2.25d²
Interior Bolt AT = ( Ed1 + ½BS3 ) ( ½BS1 + ½BS2 ) - 2.25d²
Bolt Circle AT = ( Ed1 + L ) ( ½BS1 + ½BS2 ) - 2.25d²
3. The allowable tension from vertical dowel
reinforcement in the tensile pyramid is as follows.
The distance from the reinforcement to the anchor
bolt head should not exceed L/3.
Use Smaller of Tr and Tr max
4. The allowable tension from the vertical dowel and
the unreinforced concrete pyramid may be
combined to find the allowable tension for reinforced concrete, Tc.
5. The absolute maximum tension is based on the bolt material and shall not be exceeded, see
Design Manual Section 2.2.8 “Material Properties”
COMBINED TENSION AND SHEAR
For bolts subject to both tension and shear the following condition should be met.
Bolt Nominal Root Area
Size ½ ¾ 1 1¼ 1½ 1¾ 2 2¼ 2½ 3
Nominal Area 0.196 0.442 0.785 1.227 1.767 2.405 3.142 3.976 4.909 7.069
Root Area
0.129 0.309 0.563 0.908 1.320 1.780 2.340 3.070 3.780 5.700
A307
Root Area
0.129 0.309 0.563 0.928 1.404 1.978 2.650 3.421 4.290 6.321
A193
