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October 2021 #13267 Page #114
Three Ways Anchor Designer™ v3.0 Simplifies Design By Jamie Nalley
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ince the introduction of strength design for post-installed anchors in IBC 2000, determining the designed capacity of anchors has become increasingly complex. Dozens of variables, such as geometry, concrete conditions, and the specific properties of different anchor types, make a quick, straightforward comparison of design options almost impossible. Leaving behind printed tables and digital spreadsheets, many manufacturers now offer software to simplify anchor design and provide design feedback in real time. Simpson Strong-Tie offers Anchor Designer software to specifiers as a free, intuitive design tool that streamlines the anchor design process. Historically, anchors were designed using Allowable Stress Design, which allowed specifiers to design connections using load tables and reduction factors. Manufacturers provided tabulated anchor capacities based on ultimate failures of the anchoring system, and a reasonable safety factor was applied to help account for differences from one project to another. Reduction factors were applied to the allowable load capacities based on spacing and edge distance, and designers could determine the capacity of an anchor design within a few minutes. Engineers could quickly use pencil, paper, and calculator to formulate a package, then call it a day. Industry research over the years showed there are seven different failure modes for anchors in concrete (eight including considerations for combined loading). It was also determined that a design capacity could be calculated for each failure mode. While the adoption of a strength design approach led to new insights about anchor design, it presented designers with the cumbersome responsibility of determining anchor capacity by separately hand-calculating each failure mode. Designers created sophisticated spreadsheets to help reduce the time it took to calculate an anchor design. The first iterations of manufacturer software were essentially spreadsheets with simple graphics showing the definition of variables. Software now offers designers the ability to input their design parameters and visualize the design in 3D. The recent release of Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Designer v3.0 improves the concrete anchor design process in three important ways. 1. Simplifying design input. Anchor Designer breaks up input variables into categories defined by base material, geometry, loading conditions and product selection. The software also offers detailed pop-up messages if a user hovers the mouse over a variable that may need further explanation. The graphic interface in the 3D-Model Pane allows users to input geometry and loading parameters in an easy, adjustable way. Anchor Designer v3.0 provides the new ability to input customized anchor patterns. This lets users place anchors anywhere within a baseplate, allowing more customized solutions for unique project applications. Continued next page
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