Effect of barrel, wedge material and thickness on composite plate anchor performance through analytical, finite element, experimental and 3D prototype investigations

Efficient use of pultruded thin composite plates in the mechanical and the structural applications largely depends on the performance of the anchor used at the two ends of the plates. This research studies the feasibility and effectiveness of an optimized, corrosion-resistant, thin, and light-weight anchor for the carbon fibre-based composite plates. The main objective is to investigate the effect of the material and the thickness of the barrel and the wedges on the performance of the anchor. Several materials were investigated; and finally, the corrosion-resistant heat-treated 440C stainless steel was chosen. This article also presents the development of an analytical model towards the design and optimization of an innovative prestressing anchor. The analytical model was developed and used to predict the contact pressure distribution on the composite plate inside the anchor under loading to avoid any premature failure of the plate. This analytical model was also used to predict a preliminary thickness of the new anchor. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed to analyze and optimize the anchor design. A detailed experimental study was also conducted to validate the analytical and the finite element simulation results.