Anchoring are the process of securing a fastener into a substrate, and anchoring relies on the relationship between a metal fastener and the material that the metal fastener is trying to grip. Anchoring failure often occur because a person use a fastener that is not compatible with the specific substrate. A substrate is the material into which you are drilling, and substrates can include poured concrete, cinder blocks, or drywall.
Because different substrates has different densities and structures, you must select an anchor that is designed for the specific density and structure of your substrate. For example, a tool designed to expand in a hollow cavity will not function correcty if you drive that tool into solid stone. If you use a light-duty plastic plug in heavy-duty concrete application, the plastic plug will fail because the plastic plug isnt designed for the density of the concrete.
How to Pick and Install the Right Anchor
The type of substrate determine the type of anchor you must use. Poured concrete is a dense substrate, and poured concrete allows for high load capacities if you use mechanical expansion hardware such as wedge anchors or sleeve anchors. Wedge anchors and sleeve anchors work because manufacturers designed them to expand and grip the solid mass of the poured concrete.
However, cinder blocks are often hollow substrate, and cinder blocks have internal voids. If you use an expansion anchor in a cinder block, the expansion anchor may crush the thin interior walls of the cinder block instead of gripping the cinder block. Because cinder blocks are hollow, you may need to use epoxy or anchors that can bridge the gap across a hollow core.
The size of the drill bit and the size of the anchor must be matched correct. Every screw diameter are tied to a specific hole size and a specific minimum embedment depth. If the hole is too large, the anchor will not be able to create friction, and the anchor will spin in the hole.
If the hole is too small, you will have difficulty seating the anchor and you may strip the threads or crack the substrate. Therefore, you must use the specific drill bit size that corresponds to the specific anchor size to ensure the anchor fit the hole correctly. Dust is a common cause of anchoring failure.
When you drill into concrete or masonry, the drilling process create fine powder that settles at the bottom of the hole. If you drive an anchor into a hole that contains dust, the dust will act as a lubricant. This lubricant allow the anchor to slide out of the hole when a load is applied.
You must clean the hole using compressed air or a brush because cleaning the hole remove the dust and allows the anchor to grip the substrate. Load capacity is a measurement of how much weight an anchor can hold, but you should not rely solely on the maximum rating listed on an anchor package. A person should of always applied a safety factor when calculating load capacity.
A safety factor mean that the actual weight being held is only a fraction of the maximum weight the anchor is rated for. You apply a safety factor because dynamic loads, such as someone bumping into an object, can change the weight applied to the anchor. Additionally, materials can degrade over time, so applying a safety factor ensure the anchor remains secure even if the substrate or the anchor change over time.
