This article investigates the development of the following material properties of concrete with time: compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and fracture energy. These properties were determined at seven different hydration ages (18 h, 30 h, 48 h, 72 h, 7 days, 14 days, 28 days) for four pure cement concrete mixes totaling 336 specimens tested throughout the study. Experimental data obtained were used to assess the relationship of the above properties with the concrete compressive strength and how these relationships are affected with age. Further, this study investigates prediction models available in literature and recommendations are made for models that are found suitable for application to early age concrete. Results obtained indicate that the relationship between the splitting tensile strength and concrete compressive strength can be approximated with a power function between 0.7 and 0.8, and this correlation is not affected by age. Fracture energy of the concrete and modulus of elasticity values obtained in this study correlate well with the square root of the compressive strength and it was found that this relationship holds true for all hydration ages investigated in this paper. Inverse analysis on the wedge-splitting test was conducted to determine the direct tensile strength. Values of tensile strength obtained from the inverse analysis have been validated numerically by carrying out finite element analysis on the wedge split, and anchor pull-out tests. The ratio of the tensile strength obtained from the inverse analysis to the splitting tensile strength was found to be in the range of 0.5–0.9 and 0.7 on average.

Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used as a successful supplement to experimental testing in various studies for simulation of anchorage behaviour. Throughout the years, researchers have employed different modelling techniques in various FEA packages to capture the behaviour of post-installed anchors. However, the vast amount of knowledge accrued is yet to be reviewed. This article critically reviews all aspects of FEA from pre-processing to post-processing and provides a comprehensive review of published literature on FEA studies for predicting the behaviour of post-installed anchorage systems. Most current efforts focus on investigating failure mechanism of anchors in uncracked concrete under tensile loading. Findings show that developing finite element model for post-installed anchorage in concrete is very challenging due to complex geometrical configuration of anchors, difficulty in modelling concrete–anchor interface and lack of reliable information on selecting material properties and parameters. The analysis identified key gaps in research related to the effect of geometrical simplification, anchor subjected to dynamic loading and anchor performance in cracked concrete which needs attention in future research. This review article is a valuable resource in facilitating future research on assessing the performance of post-installed anchorage in concrete with FEA.

Cast-in fastenings for use in concrete are widely used in Australia. While design guidelines for headed fasteners are currently in place in Europe and the US, guidance on the design of hold-down bolts and hooked bolts (J- and L- bolts) is currently only available in the US. These types of fastenings to concrete are frequently used in safety-critical applications whereby failure may have serious consequences including risk to human life and significant economic consequences. In Australia, there are currently no design guidelines for these types of fastenings. Poor design procedures and lack of understanding of performance limitation of these fastenings have resulted in failures of base structures around the country. This paper presents design guidelines for cast-in fastenings to concrete including headed fasteners and hooked bolts that have been endorsed by the Australian Engineered Fasteners and Anchors Council (AEFAC). These design guidelines provide design engineers with greater confidence that the product will perform as required throughout its service life. Included in this paper are general design considerations to deliver best practice solutions.