Testing Strap and Split-Tail Strap Anchors
Q: We are installing a small exterior façade using stainless steel strap anchors. The specs require us to test the anchors in the stone. We argued against that requirement, since strap anchors have been used in stone for generations and surely they’ve been tested before, but we were unsuccessful in that argument. We’re now getting ready to test the anchors. The single tab anchors aren’t a problem, but we’re not sure how to test the split-tail anchors. We think the anchor should be tested while engaged in two pieces of stone, just as it is in the job, but the guys at the lab are saying that that’s too difficult to set up in the lab, so they want to test the anchor with one stone only. Wouldn’t this give us low results, since the load is not balanced?