The anchoring between a metallic component, such as columns,
and a concrete block is an essential point in stability and durability
of a structure. This joint has to transfer the deadweight of the
structure and tensile, compressive and shearing loads created by
the structure in service. This fastening is often performed bymeans
of cast-in-place anchor bolts [1,2]. Numerous standard codes [3–6]
enable the anchor bolts and the foundation block to be designed for
static stress of tension and/or shear. But time-dependent behav-
iour of concrete is often not taken into account.
This study focuses on the joint constituted of long and smooth
anchor rods with an anchor washer on the end, embedded in con-
crete. This type of anchor bolt is frequently used in mountainous
areas to fasten the pylons of ski lifts to the reinforced concrete
foundation (Fig. 1). During their service life, these joints are
subjected to cyclic loadings. So, the challenge is to minimize the
effects of fatigue in the steel anchor rod; to do that, a prestressed
load must be kept at a level of up to 50% of the steel rod yield
strength. These joints can be considered as bolted joints between
a steel rod and the compressed concrete between the anchor plate
and the base plate of the column. The permanent compression of
concrete involves a decrease in the prestress due to concrete creep
[7–9].
With the aim to predict the in?uence of the creep phenomenon,
an experimental trial run coupled to numerical simulations was carried out. This paper presents a ?nite element modeling of
pullout and relaxation tests for this anchor type. A visco-elastic
modeling was adopted in order to take into account the time-
dependent behavior of concrete. The results of simulations were
compared to experimental data in order to validate the model
used.