Modern concrete anchors make fastening things to concrete so much easier than it was in previous years. These days there are generally three main types of concrete anchor. They are grouped into chemical, powder actuated or mechanical. The powder actuated and chemical varieties are generally only used under special license and for specialist jobs; 99% of the time, you’ll use the mechanical variety.
When you’re installing the anchor, always follow the instructions that come with it – the exact installation method can vary from anchor to anchor, so it’s very important that you don’t just assume the installation will be the same as with any other anchor you have used before. With this in mind, always follow the safety instructions and make sure you were eye protection.
They generally work in a couple of ways: The first is that it will either wedge into the hole you’ve created for it and then, through mechanical action, expand, or it will simply use friction to remain secure. It all depends on how good quality of concrete is and how old the concrete installation is as to how secure the hold will be. Clearly the older and more worn it is, the less secure the hold. Also, if concrete anchors are fixed at the edge of the concrete or two are placed too close together, the concrete may break when you’re inserting the anchor. With this in mind, it’s important that you never place an anchor less than 10 diameters away from another one. It’s also important to check the rating of the anchor before you purchase and install it – each anchor will have a specific load rating, which you shouldn’t exceed.
In general, simply ensure you use common sense and are careful when installing anchor bolts in concrete, and so long as you properly follow the manufacturers instructions, you should be able to fit these devices quickly and easily.
This article on home improvement was a guest post by Greg at Concrete Anchor Bolts.