Experimental evaluation of tensile behaviour of single cast-in-place anchor bolts in plain and steel fibre-reinforced normal- and high-strength concrete

•Tensile capacity and performance of anchor bolts is affected by the member thickness.•Concrete strength influences significantly the anchorage ductility and stiffness.•Tensile capacity of anchor bolts increases by adding steel fibres to concrete mixture.•Anchorage ductility improves considerably in steel fibre-reinforced concrete.

Cast-in-place anchor bolts embedded in plain and steel fibre-reinforced normal- and high-strength concrete members were subjected to monotonic tensile loads. The influence of the concrete member thickness, concrete strength, and the addition of steel fibres to the concrete mixture, on the anchorage capacity and performance was evaluated. The experimental results were evaluated in terms of anchorage capacity, anchorage ductility and stiffness as well as failure mode and geometry. Furthermore, the validity of Concrete Capacity (CC) method for predicting the tensile breakout capacity of anchor bolts in plain and steel fibre-reinforced normal- and high-strength concrete members was evaluated.The anchorage capacity and ductility increased slightly with increasing member thickness, whereas the anchorage stiffness decreased slightly. In contrast to the anchorage ductility, the anchorage capacity and stiffness increased considerably with increasing concrete compressive strength. The anchorage capacity and ductility also increased significantly with the addition of steel fibres to the concrete mixtures. This enhanced capacity and ductility resulted from the improved flexural tensile strength and post-peak cracking behaviour of steel fibre-reinforced concrete.The average ratio of measured strengths to those predicted by the CC method for anchors in plain concrete members was increased from 1.0 to 1.17 with increasing member thickness. In steel fibre-reinforced concrete, this ratio varied from 1.29 to 1.51, depending on the member thickness and the concrete strength.