Structural behavior of cast-in C-channel anchors in precast concrete under uniaxial tension

The cast-in C-channel is a small anchoring steel piece used to post-connect different types of elements in precast concrete members. The objective of this study was to investigate the ultimate capacity of cast-in C-channels under uniaxial tension and to compare its ultimate load capacity and failure modes with a three-dimensional finite element (FE) simulation, and to develop a mechanistic solution for cast-in C-channels. Five samples were cast and tested in varying configurations to induce the different failure modes of the channels, focusing on the influence of the confinement of the host concrete as well as the effect of the studs. The results showed that flexure of the channel governed the capacity in both the experimental work as well as in FE. In addition, the results of having local lip yielding as another dominant failure mechanism were similar to that observed in the experimental work and the finite element method (FEM). The FEM predicted not only the failure modes as addressed in mechanistic formulations but also captured the diagonal cracking in the host concrete and relative slip of the embedded channel, both phenomena observed in the experimental work but not accounted explicitly in the current design formulations.