GR-80-5

POLYESTER-RESIN
ANCHOR CREEP STUDY

by
Dennis G. Miller

Geotechnical Branch
Division of Research
Engineering and Research Center
Denver, Colorado
II
51 METRIC June 1980

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR *

WATER AND POWER RESOURCES SERVICE
On November 6, 1979, the Bureau of Reclamation was renamed the
Water and Power Resources Service in the U.S. Department of the In-
terior. The new name more closely identifies the agency with its prin-
cipal functions - supplying water and power.
 CONTENTS

Page

Introduction. ........................................................ 1
Conclusion. .......................................................... 1
Field tests. .......................................................... 1
Laboratory tests. ..................................................... 2
Test results. ......................................................... 3
Discussion of results. .................................................. 5
Bibliography. ........................................................ 7

FIGURES

Figure

1 Celtite resin anchor cartridges, size 3212, as used in test. ................ 9

2 Concrete test cylinder and apparatus. ................................ 9
3 Load cell connected to strain indicator, and Bureau of Mines
pressure cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4 Graph of loading sequence and creep, first week. ....................... 11
5 Graph of creep history, 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
6 Graph of creep history, 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
 INTRODUCTION

Anchorage systems have long been a weak link in obtaining reliable rock bolt system per-
formance which utilizes nearly the full strength of the steel bolt. Mechanical anchors
have proven unsatisfactory for use in certain types of rock and often slip or pull out long
before the ultimate strength of the bolt can be realized. Interest was therefore expressed
that high-strength, quick-setting resin anchors should be tested, which could effectively
replace mechanical anchors, grouting, or both. Because the amount of creep which could
be expected from the resin anchors in a rock bolt system was unknown, this research pro-
ject was initiated to determine the long and short term creep and ultimate load
characteristics of the rock bolt resin anchor system.

CONCLUSION

A steel rock bolt resin anchor system was laboratory tested for creep and ultimate load.
The resin anchor performed well in all tests; resin curing time was short; early and
sustained load carrying capacities were good. An initial tensile load of 166 MPa
(24 000 Ib/in2) was applied to the system, and load reduction due to creep was
monitored. The tendency of the rock bolt resin anchor system to creep appeared to
decrease with time, with a maximum load reduction of 27 percent occurring over an
elapsed time of 21 months. The system remained in a stressed condition for the next
3-112 years, although no readings were taken during this period. In a subsequent pullout
test, the steel bolt failed at a load of 229 kN (51 500 lbf); the resin anchor held securely.

FIELD TESTS

Since the initiation of this research project, resin anchors have been used on several
Service (Water and Power Resources Service) projects with great success. Most note-
worthy was the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project where resin-anchored rock bolts were
used directly behind the tunnel-boring machine as a ground support system. Where
mechanical expansion anchors had failed, the resin anchors did an excellent job of sup-
porting the sandstone-siltstone-shale tunnel rock. Resin anchors were also used suc-
cessfully at the Auburn damsite near the diversion tunnel outlet, and at Crystal damsite
to alleviate slope stability problems.

Although field tests were initiated at the latter two locations, very little information on
resin anchor performance was obtained due to personnel changes and ongoing construc-
tion work. Verbal reports indicated satisfactory installation and adequate holding capac-
ity. Crystal damsite personnel reported that older resin cartridges required a longer cur-
ing time than anticipated, and that temperature greatly influenced the curing time. The
Crystal personnel were installing the anchors at temperatures from -10 to 10 °C (300 to
50 OF), resulting in a slow curing rate, but were able to decrease the curing time to an ac-
ceptable level by warming the cartridges. Auburn personnel reported that they had ex-
perienced no difficulties during installation and that the anchor systems had good
holding capabilities. Neither pullout tests nor load monitoring were attempted at either
location.

LABORATORY TESTS

The creep and strength tests conducted in the laboratory were performed under more
favorable conditions than were generally available in the field. The laboratory test an-
chorage was placed in tension and the loads monitored for 21 months. The anchorage re-
mained in a tensioned state for the next 40 months, although the load was not monitored.
After a total of 61 months, the anchorage was tested to failure.

The laboratory test equipment consisted of a No.8 steel reinforcing bar, threaded on one
end and anchored on the other end with a polyester-resin cartridge (fig. 1) commonly
referred to as a sausage. The cartridge contains polyester resins and measured quantities
of catalyst and hardener in an easily ruptured plastic capsule. The cartridge is gently

2
placed in the anchor hole; the steel bar is inserted into the hole far enough to rupture the
capsule; and the bar is spun in the resin to mix the plastic, catalyst, and hardner.

The laboratory test anchorage was in a 0.61-m (2-ft) diameter by 1.22-m (4-ftl long con-
crete cylinder (fig. 2), in which a 38-mm (loS-in) diameter hole was drilled approximately
0.51 m (20 in) deep. The hole was thoroughly cleaned with a wet swab, loaded with a
polyester-resin cartridge (Celtite type HVOOOl, size 3212), and the steel bar spun in the
resin with an electric drill for about 40 seconds. As specified by Celtite, the set time for
the cartridge was 1 minute. The length of bond of the anchor was estimated to be ap-
proximately 300 mm (12 in). Immediately after the drill was removed, a load cell was in-
stalled and a tensile load of 166 MPa (24 100 Ib/in2) or 84.5 kN (19000 Ibf) was applied
to the bolt and anchor system. This load indicated exactly 600 p,m/m (p,in/in) on the
strain indicator connected to the load cell (fig. 3). The load cell had been previously
calibrated by placing it in a compression testing machine, applying a known load to the
cell, then taking a strain reading from a strain indicator connected to the load cell.

A Bureau of Mines type hydraulic pressure cell, which was also included in the system
(fig. 3), indicated approximately 12.4-MPa (1800-lb/in2) pressure. The method of
calibrating this pressure cell was the same as for the load cell, except pressure readings
were taken directly from the dial indicator gage attached to the pressure cell, and
therefore did not indicate the stress applied to the bolt and anchor but rather the pressure
of the fluid within the body of the cell. This cell proved to be rather unreliable due to the
large effect of temperature on the hydraulic fluid. The load cell to which the strain in-
dicator was connected also exhibited temperature dependence, but to a lesser extent than
the Mines pressure cell.

TEST RESULTS

The rate of load loss was closely monitored, particularly during the first week of the
test. During the first 22 hours of the test, the load on the bolt decreased from 166 MPa

3
(24 100 Ib/in2) to 145 MPa (21 000 Ib/in2), a 13-percent reduction. The bolt was reten-
sioned to 170 MPa (24 700 Ib/in2) by tightening the loading nut. During the next
24 hours, load relaxation was approximately 4 percent. The bolt was again retensioned
to 166 MPa (24 100 Ib/in2) and the creep monitored for 48 hours, at the
end of which load reduction was again 4 percent. The bolt was retensioned to 170 MPa
(24 700 Ib/in2) and 71 hours later the bolt had lost 5 percent of its load. The bolt was
retensioned a final time to 166 MPa (24100 Ib/in2) on March 4, 1974, 7 days after initial
loading (fig. 4). The room temperature remained relatively constant at 21 + 1 °C (70
+2 OF) during this 7-day period.

From March 4, 1974, to November 30, 1975, load cell, pressure cell, and temperature
readings were recorded daily (figs. 5 and 6). During these 21 months, the load fell off
27 percent to 121 MPa (17600 Ib/in2). Most of the load reduction (21 percent) occurred
during the first 7 months following final tensioning, declining to 131 MPa (19000 Ib/in2)
by the end of September 1974. The remaining 14 months showed continuing relaxation,
but at a slower rate. The relaxation rate (fig. 6) appears to have increased slightly during
the 5 months from June through November 1975.

The bolt was retensioned to 166 MPa (24 100 Ib/in2) in November 1975 (21 months after
initial loading), and was not again retightened. The load did not fall off appreciably from
that time until April 11, 1979 (40 months later). The sustained creep test loading equip-
ment was removed after a total of about 61 months of loading. The Bureau of Mines
pressure cell, which indicated 12.8 MPa (1850 Ib/in2) at the time of last retensioning,
was reading approximately 11.7 MPa (1700 Ib/in2) at the end of the creep test, which in-
dicates the ability of the anchor to carry a sustained load.

Shortly after the creep-test apparatus was removed, a hydraulic loading jack was in-
stalled, and a load applied to the bolt-anchor system to determine the ultimate strength
of the system. The steel bar failed in the threaded section at a load of 229 kN (51500 Ib£),
thus the load carrying capacity of the resin bond exceeded that of the steel. According to

4
a comprehensive study of resin anchors [1]*, this result is predictable based upon bolt
and hole diameter considerations.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

The gradual decrease of load with time indicates the nature of creep of the system (figs.
4, 5, and 6). As the plotted points indicate, both the Mines pressure cell and the load cell
gave readings which were temperature dependent. In an effort to eliminate temperature
effects on figures 5 and 6, data points corresponding to a reading temperature of 21°C
(70 OF) were chosen and circled on the plots. It was then possible to fit a line through
these points which gave an indication of the temperature independent creep nature of the
system. Distribution of data points around the expected behavior curve was thereby im-
proved considerably and the general trend was revealed. As expected, the rate of creep
decreased as time advanced and load decreased, except during the final 5 months of
recorded data.

* Number in brackets refers to literature cited in the bibliography.

5
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Dunham, R. K., "Some Aspects of Resin Anchored Rock Bolting," Tunnels and
Tunnelling, Dorset, England, vol. 5, pp. 376-385, July 1973

[2] Caverson, B., and J. Parker, "Roof Bolts Hold Best With Resin," Mining Engi-
neering, vol. 23, pp. 54-57, May 1971

[3] McLean, D. C., "Use of Resins in Mine Roof Support," Mining Engineering,
vol. 16, January 1964

7
 Figure l.-Celtite resin anchor cartridges, size 3212, as
used in test. P-801-D-79409

Figure 2.-Concrete test cylinder and apparatus (right). No.6 re-

bar is resin-anchored in transparent plastic tube for display pur-
poses (left). P-801-D-79410

9
Figure 3.-Load cell connected to the strain indicator, and Bureau
of Mines pressure cell P-801-D-79411

10
 I

I
Z- I 'I

:
>-
~E 700
j
,
I !
.j~~ c 650
I
U~
I ~0
0--
3::t. 600
q, i
i'Ib "",-0
"'(
I
I
0

1IT I I
I
"0 I , I
I 1
.00
I
I H~l ,
I
t-
:>
Z
I
- ---- ---
t-
:>
1
I

I
[:
I
I
0

'"
I : I
Z

I I I ~I I
~~I '"Z
t-
'"
:I:
'" '"

tif
t- 'TI
" 2000 I '"
t-
,,>- I I I
1 1

-i
I
"
r
)
~ ~I 1 0

1
1900 - I
~u 13 I
0:
I' ,
I '...... n
0 ~00 0 --- --- I

t
N
...... '"
~ 1800
, -

\
C
...... V>
UJ CI 12
0:
"-
::;
"-
'-
£>
1700
i ,
I
-00

!
!
w
'"
z
::; 1600
~r--Ii
I"'"'
1500
I '
10
i
i
I ,
I

I I
i
I
I
I
. I

I
1
I I

'
_J J
I
I i
! !

IZM 6A
Ll__LLL-
2 -25 6P IZM 6A 2 -26 6P IZM
U-
6A 2 -27
--~--
6P IZM 6A
L_-
2-28 6P 12M 6A
----
3-1 6P
I

'2M
6A 3-2 6P
----1-
IZM 6A 3-3 6P
'ZM
6A 3-4

1974

Figure 4.-Graph of loading sequence and creep, first week.

 600 LEGEND
c DATA POINTS FOR WHICH CORRESPONDING AIR
z
:>- E"- 550
.... ...JOe
TEMPERATURE;
ALL OTHER DATA
20
POINTS
°C
(70 OF)

'"j
E .."""....-.-
.. : ..
~
=- 500
~c .0 .' .-. .. '.- .0- ..
0
g ":i 450 -'-~~~ ' ~------
..- .
- --- -- --."

400 -~~~---

14
2000 ------- --"--- ~

-'-'
OJ
U e. .' . .
OJ 1800 ""'I
Q:
::>
12
NC
;'. H
. . .0°
. . '. .
OJ
'"
Q:
c
'" 0..
1600 .' .' . . '.
.c
"-
o.. ::e
.° '.
-
t\:)
OJ
'"
z
;j;
10
1400
.°, . . ~.

---~._----
8
30

80
OJ
Q:
::>
>- 70
~ u
OJ. 20 ::- '-- -

0..
::e
OJ 60 "---'---' "~,---
>-
10 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I t I I I I I I I I I I I I t I
. 10 15 20 25 . IS2025 . 10 15 20 25 5 10152025 5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 . 10 1520 2ti . 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 . 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 ZO 25
JANUARY '°
FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEM BER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

1974

Figure 5.-Graph of creep history 1974.

 600 ---.------- -~_.,--~.,--
~'-
LEGEND
-
0 DATA POINTS FOR WHICHCORRESPONDING AIR
z TEMPERATURE; 20 .C (70 OF)
~ ~
:;; E
~!50 . , ALL OTHER DATA POINTS
j :!- 500 ~._~~
w c ...0....
U ;;::
D .~ . .
.. ,- - . ".."
_8 .0.
p
'... . --- °0
- .
"0. ."..
-. --
.;. .
'

°.. "..
g« ::i.. 450 *.
e..-.-
400 -~--- ",,--.-

---- -- .------
- --
" ',. ' ,-----

,.
2000 --~--..-----------

-'-'
w
U
1800
w
Q:
::>
~C
12
N
c
;;:: 1600
--_.------

" -0. .., ,

~

. °0. -- --

~ .
w"-
[::E .D .. :- ~
. 00.
.°0
.
I--'
W 10 "
. °0 . ..0
0
w 1400 "0. ,
'"
Z
j ' . '~
"
8
30

80 -"-'---, 'm_.- '--"------

w
no
::>
....
10
~
w
~ 20 it
~60
~"-
....

j (
10 I I I I I I I I I I--L- ~~ I I I I I III~I I I 1--1-_' ! I ! I I I I ! ! ! I
5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 5 15 20 25 5 10 15 20 25 510152025 5 10 15 20 25 5 !O 15 20 25 5 10 1520 2b
1°
JANUARY FEBRUAR; MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JUL; AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

1975

Figure 6,-Graph of creep history 1975,

G)
1)
0

'"
'"
'"I
"0'"