A grouted anchor is a ground anchor in which a steel bar or strand is placed in a drilled hole and fixed with grout, so that tensile forces are transferred through the hardened grout body into firm ground. Grouted anchors mainly hold in place structures that are pushed inward or upward by earth or water pressure.
Make-up
A grouted anchor has three parts:
- Fixed (bond) length — the part anchored to the ground with grout, which takes up the force
- Free length — the part that transfers the force and is not bonded to the ground
- Anchor head — the end at the structure, where the anchor is stressed and locked off
Applications
Grouted anchors are used, among other things, for:
- Sheet pile walls and excavations — the wall is anchored back at an angle into firm ground, so it can resist earth pressure without props inside the pit
- Retaining structures — retaining walls and quay walls
- Uplift — anchoring basements and tank structures against upward water pressure
- Temporary or permanent anchoring — depending on the design life and corrosion protection
Once the grout has hardened, the anchor is proof-tested in tension and stressed. Grouted anchors make it possible to keep large excavations open without obstructions, which makes building inside them easier.
Related terms
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