Anchor Design Software
We have just had a seminar with HILTI and they pointed us towards their cloud based design tool for designing baseplate anchor systems, which would have been ideal for Ex STEEL. The free version will allow you to design the anchors and undertake ULS/SLS design to EC2/3. It is quite similar to TEDDs but gives you specifications of products (albeit Hilti ones), making design just that bit easier. It also will show you the calculations, therefore it is very easy to follow and verify what is going on, it also gives useful references.
The limitation with the software is that it assumes the baseplate is rigid and there is no verification that it is, which has to be checked independently in the free version.
You just have to sign up for an account.
To give a bit of context at London City Airport we used a chemical anchor solution for the a 7m high 240m long noise barrier, therefore it isn’t just for small scale temporary works.
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Most of the designers (even the older ones) use this software all the time at MDG. Its a decent bit of software and very simple to use; even for me.
As a related note to this my design office have a policy of not using threaded anchors acting in tension. As I understand it these kind of anchors have quite small tolerances for correct installation which pose a risk that they won’t be installed correctly on site. From reading they can bend in the concrete if not installed correctly. Secondly that there is a risk that a contractor may use ‘second-hand’ threaded anchors that may not perform as a new anchor would.
Instead we recommend expansion anchors and resin anchors for connections acting in tension. Again these come with their own risks based on the situation you’re using them for. Some more useful info in this article here from Fastener & Fixing Mag:
https://www.fastenerandfixing.com/construction-fixings/chemical-versus-mechanical-anchors-the-pros-and-cons/
Maybe something to bear in mind for those specifying anchorage details.
Funnily enough we had a CPD session on anchors last week as well, except ours was presented by FFX (another manufacturer). It was quite interesting as they did cover the range of failure methods of typical fixings in different media (some of which Al mentioned) and made various recommendations. FFX have a (sadly not free) programme which will offer products from Hilti, Fischer, FFX, etc, etc but you’re then effectively sub-contracting design.
We also (unsurprisingly) have the Hilti software which is popular and simple but often gives expensive results (and obviously only recommends Hilti products). This isn’t a problem if you’re after two or three fixings and using what you know gets a quick result for the client, but for projects of any decent scale you could save a lot of money shopping (designing) around. It often becomes worth the additional design time cost. Depends on time and scale of the project as to whether it’s worth it.
I too had the luxury of a CPD session on chemical and mechanical anchors from Ramset (a direct competitor to Hilti). From the sounds of things is covered similar ground.
One point of interest though was the company rep stated their seismic rated products were to ETAs because of their European sister company. I’ve done some googling and believe the European company is a French company called Spit Paslode. They too have free software which can be accessed online or downloaded here: https://www.spitpaslode.fr/en/support-services/software/
No surprises that the library contains Spit’s products but it gives Jon another option if he wants to enter the design data twice. Another option may be to design with one manufacturer’s software and specify their product “or equivalent” in the notes.
Jon,
I used this software two weeks ago to design a jacking plate for London City Airport. I agree it’s very user friendly and simple to use (means something coming from me). The results on the website are a bit black box processing but the downloadable report shows the references and calculations which I then used to verify the design. All in all, everyone at BAM likes and uses it.
There’s a good technical note in the February Structural Engineer (Vol 98 Issue 2) on principles of the design of post fixed anchors, which you should be able to download and read for free as a student member. 3 Pages, so if anyone wants I can scan and email. ot surprisingly it refers to BS 8539:2012 and BS EN 1992-4:2018. The big three things to consider are: selection of the Anchor; The base material it is being fixed into, and the element that is to be fixed using the anchor. Each caries risk.