The structural design of WELDA® Anchor Plates is usually performed by using Peikko Designer®. Peikko Designer® refers to resistances approved in the European Technical Assessment ETA 16/0430 in accordance with the latest European design standards. These standards typically limit the performance of WELDA® by the load-bearing capacity of concrete surrounding the anchor plate. Under such assumptions, the contribution of the concrete member’s reinforcement to the resistance of an anchorage provided by WELDA® is significantly underestimated, if not neglected.
Optimized resistances – new design recommendations
During the past 4 years, Peikko has invested a significant amount of resources to a research focused on the assessment of the structural performance of WELDA® Anchor Plates combined with the reinforcement of the concrete member. The research program involved a basic study focused on identifying the basic behavior patterns of WELDA® anchored in reinforced concrete and applied a research that allowed formulating new design recommendations for WELDA® under tensile, shear and combined loading.
The new design recommendations will allow Peikko to guarantee WELDA® Anchor Plates resistances significantly greater in comparison to those that can be assessed in accordance with current European design standards. The first approval validating such research-based resistances has already been issued by the Finnish Concrete Association (BY) in 2018. Other approvals, as well as the implementation of the new design methods to Peikko Designer®, will follow in 2019. Detailed technical information about the new design method can be found e.g. in an article published in International Federation for Structural Concrete journal.
