Concrete Anchor Bolts

Different Types of Concrete Anchor Bolts

To put it simply, anchor bolts are devices used to attach objects to concrete or other structures. Concrete anchor bolts are a part of almost every construction project because they are vital for the integrity of the building. A concrete anchor bolt generally has a thread like end that can be used to attach a washer and a nut, which helps to carry external load.

There are several types of bolts that are used for varied purposes. The most common variety is the one that has a bolt with a head cased in the wet concrete and then allowed to set and then there are the other varieties which have bended hooks which sometimes even have hooks attached to the ending. Concrete anchor bolts bind the foundation of a structure to the wall as these are strongest variety of fasteners and hence help to make it earthquake resistance. This can be accounted as one of the major reasons for their popularity.

There are three majorly known varieties of bolts, namely

* Taper Bolts

They are uniformly set bolts that have a tapered thread attached to both the nut and the bolt. The best part about these types of anchor bolts is that these can be installed or reinstalled with a lot of ease and hence changing window frames becomes a less tedious task with their usage.

* Expansion sleeve anchor

This variety of bolts generally has a mushroom end that can help to fit the body of the bolt inside the sleeve. Since these are low strength bolts therefore these are not suitable for any security devices

* Embedded bolts

They are the most commonly used variety. They are bolts which are embedded in the concrete and provide for a strong base for any foundation.

Besides the above mentioned varieties one needs to know that these bolts are also classified with the kind of strength they have, these range from light duty to medium duty bolts and for ensuring an extremely sound structure heavy duty bolts are also used in some constructions. With the help of these fasteners you can fasten not just the concrete foundations but also the towel bars, shower doors, brackets, pipes and even shelves.

Such bolts these days are also crafted out of plastic to help with light duty applications in homes. But one major drawback of the plastic bolts is that in case the concrete is crumbly, the anchor may just bend and break free. One needs to be very careful about choosing the right kind of bolt for different applications and ensure that it is installed with professional help to prevent any hazardous situation.

Concrete Anchor Bolts In Action

Concrete anchor bolts help to “set in stone” the long lasting importance of at least one simple machine. A bolt derives its strength from the way that it drives a wedge against the sleeve, the sleeve of material that surrounds the bolt.

Whenever a factory needs to place a heavy machine on a poured concrete floor, that factory should plan to rely on the strength of more than one cast-in-place anchor bolt. A visitor to the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania might want to look carefully for the presence of such bolts.

The Mercer Museum was designed from a building that used to belong to Henry Mercer. He once had a tile factory in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Today, visitors to the Mercer Museum walk over a slowly rising concrete floor.

That floor carries visitors up into and through all of the displays in the Museum. Each display features one of the diverse group of American industries. Some of the displays require the placement of heavy equipment on a concrete floor.

A different sort of anchor bolt has added to the strength of buildings on the west coast. That bolt can connect a concrete foundation to a wall. The engineers in California place such bolts in buildings, so that those structures can better withstand the movements associated with an earthquake.

While students in the Philadelphia area might visit the Mercer Museum, students in Los Angeles frequently enjoy the opportunity to visit the Science Museum that is adjacent to the USC campus. There they can witness first hand the importance of a well placed anchor bolt.

There students can sit in a special room, one that undergoes a set of movements. Those movements simulate the sort of movements that one would expect to feel during an earthquake. Those movements underline the need for placement of strengthening bolts between building walls and building foundations.

The comparatively low number of deaths, following the earthquake in Chile has served to highlight the strengthening qualities that are linked to well bolted concrete. Engineers and builders in earthquake prone California should be using such bolts for many years to come.

Thanks to the field trips to the Museums on both coasts, present day school students can develop an appreciation for concrete anchor bolts. If any of those students were to pursues an engineering career, then that student would have a strong sense for the importance of at least one of the seven simple machines.

Using Anchor Bolts

An anchor bolt comes in various shapes and sizes, and is used primarily to fasten an object to concrete. Anchor bolts for concrete applications are typically a wedge style, but many variations are available, often depending on manufacturer. Anchor bolts are used all around the world, in a potpourri of applications, from bridges, to buildings, to the basketball court down the street.

When selecting a type, it is important to know which is suitable to fit your needs. A wedge style concrete anchor bolt consists of a bolt, partially threaded, fully threaded, or full-bodied. In any case, the bolt has a wedged end, which as the bolt is tightened, drives up against a metal sleeve. As this happens, the sleeve bows in the middle, gripping the inside of the hole drilled into the concrete.

In the fully threaded variety of anchor bolts for concrete, the bolt is threaded for a majority of the length. The reason for this is that it allows for leeway when the object being secured is leveled. The major fault in this style is that it is extremely easy to misread how deep you are setting the bolt, thus endangering the integrity of the anchor. This being said, particular attention should be given to depth when installing this variant.

On the other end of the spectrum is our full-bodied style. In this application, the bolt is actually only partially threaded, so that it is impossible to not set it in the correct depth. The full-bodied anchor bolt is the same thickness in the un-threaded portion as it is the threaded portion, meaning that the entire thing sits snug in the hole. This style virtually eliminates depth errors, and results in a stronger anchor.

There is also the partially threaded anchor bolt. With these, the bolt is only threaded a third or half of its length, and the un-threaded length is thinner than the threaded portion. Thus, this anchor cannot be installed in a hole that is not deep enough. However, it is not completely foolproof. Yet again, it is extremely important to make sure the bolt is installed at the proper depth.

In sum, be sure to choose the right anchor style for the application its intended for. Manufacturers often provide insight into different uses, and different sizes are available. Remember to make certain that the anchor is embedded completely to the depth it should be before finishing installation. With millions of successful applications ranging from everyday buildings to bridges to power plants, when you need to fasten anything to the floor, anchor bolts for concrete are the solution.

Concrete Anchor Bolts

Different Types of Concrete Anchor Bolts

Concrete Anchor Bolts In Action

Using Anchor Bolts

Recent Articles

Tags