Ground Anchors
Ground anchors technology is used world wide , securing slopes where excavation of roads , railways , large dams and retaining walls, holding down underpasses and underground structures, stabilising wind turbine towers and preventing landslides. UCDC is capable of designing, fabricating and installing post-tensioned ground anchors.
Applications include bridges, cable cars and cable railways, as well as maintaining excavations against ground instability. The anchors provide an effective alternative to large gravity structures.
UCDC can supply and install a range of ground anchors ,Soil nails and rock bolts (generally short and unstressed) Strand and bar anchors (generally longer, stressed or unstressed)
Bars for micro piles – foundation members working either in tension or compression
Ground anchors provide an efficient way of mobilising dead loads deep in the ground to stabilise slopes and excavations or to resist forces that would otherwise require large gravity foundations. Uses include resisting forces induced by wind and water pressure or tension forces .
Choice of ground anchors depends on whether they are to be tensioned or not, used for rock or soil and whether they are for temporary or permanent use.
* Temporary anchors
The strands are of uncoated steel along the bond length. Spacers hold them apart from one an-other in order to obtain an optimal load transfer. External spacers may also be used if required to centre the anchor in the drill hole.
The strands in the free length are normally greased and individually sheathed. Alternatively, strands can be left uncoated and then assembled in a smooth sleeve, which is sealed at its lower end to prevent grout penetration.
Temporary anchors can be made so that they can be removed when required.
Temporary Strand Anchors have a limited service life less than two years as they have limited or no corrosion protection.
* Permanent anchors
These can be used as Standard working anchors, where the load is normally not modified after stressing ,
Adjustable anchors for regulating the load
Control anchors, which allow occasional monitoring with a removable load cell
Surveillance anchors, where the anchor load is monitored using a permanent load cell
Electrically isolated anchors
Permanent ground anchors fulfil their function throughout the working life of the structure and require comprehensive corrosion protection. They are equipped with tightly fitting, thick-walled polyethylene (PE) encapsulation, which acts as a protective barrier against corrosion
