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Testing of the first domestic chemical anchor is underway
It is about the development of ASP-Group company, which created UTECH HITRE 500 chemical anchor for high loads in dry and wet concrete under different installation and operation conditions. The tests are conducted in the laboratories of the Research Institute of Experimental Mechanics of the National Research Moscow State Construction University (NIU MSCU), as this is the only site in Russia that specializes in the full cycle of research for anchor fasteners.
The work at NIU MSCU in the field of anchor fasteners began more than ten years ago - research work was carried out for Rosatom State Corporation. With the support of the university, normative documents defining the characteristics of these products and normative design prerequisites of anchor fasteners were created. Today, the university has experience in a complete list of tests for all current regulatory documents related to anchorages.
"As for testing of chemical anchors - this is a separate and complex task, which requires specialized equipment and high competence of employees. It is very important to properly evaluate and process the test results, determine the operating conditions. And today only one laboratory in Russia can cover the whole range of tasks - it is the laboratory of the National Research University of Moscow State University of Civil Engineering. Without exaggeration I can say that without MSCU we would not even be able to talk about bringing the product to the market and guaranteeing its high quality," says Stanislav Pashkevich, CEO of ASP-Group.
According to Mikhail Kovalev, a leading engineer at the Research Institute of Experimental Mechanics of the National Research University of Moscow State University, the most difficult to perform are long-term tests, especially tests in climatic chambers with maintaining constant loads. A very wide range of equipment is required to perform a full cycle of tests: power equipment, equipment for long term loading, climatic chambers, corrosive media holding chambers and so on. There are very few organizations in the Russian Federation that have a full list of such equipment at their disposal.
Stanislav Pashkevich also said that work on the project began in the spring of 2022, when Western companies began to leave or limit their presence in the Russian market, - it was then that it became necessary to create a completely Russian product in order not to depend on foreign suppliers and not to allow construction to stop.
"The Russian construction market now requires reliable engineering solutions and technologies that will be manufactured in our country. And we are just developing such solutions using HILTI's global experience. In particular, I am talking about chemical anchors for high loads - this product has been developed by the ASP-Group team in cooperation with HILTI for a long time and will soon be introduced into production. Its relevance is hard to overestimate - chemical anchors are used practically in all spheres of the construction industry, where high load-bearing loads are required. Today we are at the final stage of its development in the laboratory of the Institute of Experimental Mechanics of the National Research University MSCU. I would like to note that Russian chemical anchor UTECH HITRE 500 is a vivid example of import substitution. It is produced in Russia according to international quality standards from Russian raw materials on the own equipment of ASP-Group plant", - says Andrey Montyanov, Strategic Category Manager of Hilti Distribution Ltd.
It is worth noting that there were really no domestic manufacturers before, because the system of legalization of application was focused on European manufacturers with test results in Europe. Accordingly, before the sanctions, the main share of the anchor fastener market belonged to European companies, which received documentation for the application of their fasteners on the basis of reduced test programs, taking into account the availability of European certificates for their products. It was after the imposed sanctions due to the departure of the main players from the market that new organizations began to appear: some supply fasteners from friendly countries (China, Turkey), others began to organize production in the territory of the Russian Federation.
A chemical anchor or adhesive anchor is, in simple terms, a system consisting of a two-component construction adhesive and a metal rod. Installation of chemical anchors is possible in concrete or stone base of any configuration. The scope of application of such a material is as extensive as possible. In many places where there is concrete and rebar or concrete and stud, a chemical anchor is used as a link between these two parts.
One of the simplest examples of using chemical anchors in the home is for TV or air conditioner mounts. But the goal of ASP Group is to realize a professional grade product. Such chemical anchors can be used for installation of highway fencing elements, in bridge building, in subway construction. Chemical anchors for gluing reinforcing bars into concrete walls are used on the Moscow Metro branches under construction. They are also used in the power industry - hydropower, nuclear power, heat power. In addition, they are used for fastening technological equipment, including heavy equipment operating under vibration or at certain elevated temperatures. The mass application of chemical anchors in construction can be compared to the example of using superglue in households.
"It takes a lot of time and resources to create a high-quality chemical anchor. It took our team a year and a half. We have been testing at MSCU from the very beginning, even at the stage of developing the formula and product technology. For a long time the process of studying the behavior of different variants of the material under load was underway, statistics was being compiled. Here it is worth noting the professionalism and competence of the MSCU laboratory staff, who helped not only to evaluate the results correctly, but also pointed out the hidden flaws. And today we have received a full analog of HILTI's HIT-RE 500 - this is the product that created this market and is now considered the best in the world", - said Stanislav Pashkevich.
The UTECH HITRE 500 chemical anchor created by ASP-Group has the highest performance characteristics, including the ability to be pumped into water. For example, there is an installation horizon - a floor slab that has been flooded - and if there is an urgent need to fix something, this chemical anchor can be used. These are very tough installation conditions - there are very few chemical anchors in the world that can work in such conditions.
"The tests we are now conducting are very important for the manufacturer to go to market with a data sheet and complete documentation including all the characteristics of the chemical anchor. We are determining parameters such as pull-out force and movement of the anchor during testing. We also study the effect on the pullout force of hole cleaning in dry and wet conditions. An important part of the tests is to determine how the chemical anchor behaves in water-saturated concrete or if the working space is completely filled with water," said Danil Zaitsev, deputy head of the laboratory of full-scale tests at the Research Institute of EM of the National Research University of Moscow State University.
Two phases of testing have already been completed. The scientists have obtained a baseline value for the pull-out force from normal concrete, as well as results for wet concrete and concrete with poor cleaning. Preparations are now underway for long-term temperature exposure tests. Experts will study how the chymanker behaves under load at room temperature and at elevated temperatures (for 100 days). Freezing and thawing cycles will also be run - 50 such cycles will take place in 50 days to understand how the chemical anchor behaves in summer and winter.
In addition, the anchoring is now being tested in a crack of a specified size. Thus, in reinforced concrete structures, cracks up to 0.4 mm wide are allowed according to calculations. Numerous studies show that if an anchor is installed in the foundation, the crack is very likely to pass through it, as it is a stress concentrator in the structure. These tests are carried out for the worst case, where the crack passes directly through the anchor with the maximum possible opening width, i.e. 0.4 mm.
The tests are carried out in the following way: first, the experts open a hairline crack that does not affect the load-bearing capacity of the anchor. Then they install the anchor in it, it hardens for a prescribed period of time, then they open the crack to a width of 0.4 mm with the help of wedges. This is followed by a pull-out test - the result is a reduction in load-bearing capacity if the crack passes through the anchor. The values obtained will be used to calculate anchors in structures where cracking is possible.
Now ASP-Group is at the stage of obtaining a technical passport, without which construction organizations do not work with the product, as it is used in very critical structures. According to plans, the product will be fully ready for use in the fourth quarter of this year.
The main law-making body in the field of anchor fasteners is the FAU "Federal Center for Norming and Standardization". It is here that customers submit all the necessary documentation to obtain a technical certificate for their products. This document confirms the quality of the product and allows the manufacturer to sell its product in the construction industry. In case of any questions on testing or on the fasteners themselves, NIU MSCU has direct contact with the experts of FAU FCS.
By the way, NIU MSCU is in constant contact with two leading associations in the field of anchor fasteners in Russia - the Fastener Union (unites the largest suppliers of fasteners in the Russian market) and the Facade Union (unites manufacturers and suppliers of facade systems). The Fasteners Union is working on the development of various normative and technical documentation on testing, application and calculation of anchor fasteners with direct participation of NIU MSCU in writing and discussing this documentation. The Facade Union, in its turn, is strongly interested in scientific and technical services of NIU MSCU in this field, as all facades are anchored with the use of anchors. Accordingly, the reliability and quality of the facade systems depend on the quality of the fasteners.
Prepared with the support of the Moscow State Construction University.
Source: Kommersant