A REVIEW OF EXISTING PROVISIONS FOR SEISMIC QUALIFICATION AND DESIGN OF POST-INSTALLED FASTENERS

In the last decade many efforts were put to define both qualification procedures and design procedures for post-installed fasteners under seismic actions both in Europe and in the US. However, significant differences may be found in the two approaches, both in terms of testing protocols and relevant acceptance criteria and in design criteria, which may generate confusion for practitioners in defining design requirements. A general review of existing design criteria for post-installed steel-to-concrete connections under seismic action is presented, with particular emphasis on the new approach of Eurocode 2 part 4. Design options by protection of the fastener or by protection of the attached element are introduced, discussing the capabilities and limitations of each solution. On the basis of the introduced design criteria, requirements for qualification are presented and discussed. For such design criteria it is shown how a qualification procedure should account for both load and crack cycling to guarantee suitability for both structural and non-structural applications.