Seismic tension testing of cast-in specialty inserts under different cyclic loading protocols

Abstract

The seismic performance of an anchor is primarily evaluated through cyclic loading tests following current qualification testing guidelines such as ACI 355.2 and ETAG 001 Annex E. However, recent reports suggest that these guidelines are insufficient in assessing the ultimate performance of anchors, particularly in the post-peak region. Hence, additional qualification tests are required to supplement these guidelines. Although the testing protocol of FEMA 461 could be considered a promising alternative, there is currently no concrete research related to its application. Herein, we performed cyclic tension loading tests on recently developed headed cast-in specialty inserts using both the existing anchor qualification testing guidelines and the FEMA 461 protocol and compared their behavior in terms of strength, displacement, stiffness, and strain. The new insert anchors exhibited only negligible differences in their performance, depending on the applied loading protocols. We also discuss a more efficient cyclic loading method for evaluating the seismic performance of the anchors and subsequently propose the application of the FEMA 461 testing protocol for anchor qualification tests.