Anchor plate

Definition

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Construction, Surveying and Civil Engineering, an anchor plate "is a plate attached to a component that enables other components to be connected to it."

Although there are many types of anchors or anchorages, according to the Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, an anchor plate specifically is a "wrought-iron clamp, of Flemish origin, on the exterior side of a brick building wall that is connected to the opposite wall by a steel tie-rod to prevent the two walls from spreading apart; these clamps were often in the shape of numerals indicating the year of construction, or letters representing the owner's initials, or were simply fanciful designs."

While most types of anchors are made of only steel, anchor plates might also contain malleable or cast iron. The exterior wall washer is most often made of a cast-iron star or a flat steel plate.

History of use and studies

In Roman technology, wooden tie-beams (or tie rods) were used between arches to negate the outward horizontal forces between them.{{cite journal |last1= Pisani |first1= Marco Andrea |date= October 1, 2016

In the modern era, tie-rods are made of iron or steel, and serve to reinforce vaults, arches, and in general masonry structures. Reinforced masonry walls are strengthened through a tie-rod that connects between parallel walls at the floor-level, which creates a horizontal compression state, thereby increasing the wall's shear strength. While the current literature is very poor, some studies have been done on analysis of anchor plates and tie-rods, for example one study dealing with concrete panels, which, although a thin veneer, may also need anchor plates to help stabilize the wall.{{cite journal |last1= Shin |first1= Jiuk|last2= Kim |first2= JunHee |last3= Chang |first3= Hak-Jong

The pressure that an anchor plate provides is constantly stiff. A study found that, as widths exceed 100 mm, the advantage of having a wider plate decreased, indicating a width threshold for optimal support.

Gallery

File:Genuine barnstar.jpg|On a building in Petaluma, California File:Coventry Cathedral ruins tie rods.JPG|Tie rods and anchor plates in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral File:Remscheid Lennep - Stadtkirche 04 ies.jpg|Anchor plate on a church in North Rhine-Westphalia File:Oldendorf (Luhe) Wohlenbüttel - Wassermühle 05 ies.jpg|X-shaped wall anchor in Lower Saxony File:Florenz - Mauerbefestigung.jpg|Bar-style wall anchor in Florence File:Star in New York City Marble Cemetery (40635).jpg|A star-shaped anchor plate in New York City File:Soulard St Louis Anchor Star.jpeg|A star-shaped anchor plate in Soulard, St. Louis File:Cloître Saint-Trophime Anchor Plate 2.jpg|An anchor plate in the cloister of the Church of St. Trophime, Arles (France)

References

References

1. link. (2009-07-26 ''stainless-uk.co.uk'')
2. (2013). "Oxford Dictionary of Construction, Surveying and Civil Engineering". Oxford University Press.
3. (2000). "Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, Third Edition". McGraw Hill.
4. Petrucci, Enrica. "Metal tie-rods and anchor plates in old buildings structural".
5. (2019-04-03). "Experimental Characterization of Ancient Metal Tie-Rods in Historic Masonry Buildings". International Journal of Architectural Heritage.