We have a condition where a 4" anchor will not provide the minimum nominal embedment required by the contract documents due to the limited thickness of the concrete over steel decking at the high flute. The design professional would prefer not to penetrate the decking if a longer anchor is used. The contractor is proposing procuring a longer 5" anchor and trimming the tapered end of the anchor 1/2" > 3/4" to achieve the embedment and still permit the nominal and effective embedment depths to be achieved.
Hi Pat,
Thank you for reaching out. Generally, Hilti recommends against cutting anchors for the following reasons:
• The mechanical properties of the anchor could be changed resulting in reduced load capacity.
• The corrosion resistance properties of the anchor could be reduced during the cutting process (zinc/Hot-dipped galvanized coating could be removed), even for indoor carbon steel applications because you now have exposed raw steel.
• Cutting could remove the length identification mark on the anchor (if applicable)
• The threads of the anchor could be damaged.
Please note that decision to cut anchors will ultimately be at the discretion of the Engineer of Record (EOR) on the project as this application falls outside of Hilti's scope of testing.
Regards,
Katelyn