Expansion Bolt M10x90mm INOX A4 / 389

At the turn of the new century, the number of climbers and climbing areas increased. New sport-climbing routes in high walls have also begun to be built. Installation of anchor points by drilling and fixing plates with TSA-type anchors is very easy and fast.

Products are distinguished only by material – stainless steel and structural steel with galvanic protection (galvanizing). Thus, plates and bolts are available in both materials, but the anchor points are only available in stainless steel. Stainless materials are more durable, they are also suitable for seaside places, caves: for areas with a greater possibility of material corrosion. For the interior of the continent, even galvanized steel gear last more than 20 years without signs of wear and use.

It is not recommended to mix the materials together. It is best if the anchor and plate are used from the same material segment.

Specific instructions

Check the quality of the support around the anchor making sure that the rock is flat, compact, and consistent.

Drill a hole with a diameter of ø10mm and depth of the bolt length (better deeper than too shallow).

Assemble the bolt and the plate and insert it all the way into the hole. Rotate the plate in the direction of the intended load.

Tighten the fixing nut with a torque wrench - the bolt is slightly pulled out of the hole and an expansion element is activated.

If the expansion element of the bolt was not activated/did not grip and it rotates, such a bolt is not useful and must be removed!

Instructions for using the plate and the anchor

In general

Plates and anchors can be used both in natural climbing areas and on artificial walls - in halls and outdoors.

Climbing walls

The means for fixing plates and anchors on the climbing walls in gyms are prescribed by the wall manufacturer (shape/length of screws, washers, nuts, etc.).

Outdoor Climbing Areas

It is necessary to choose the proper bolting approach for fixing the plate in the rock. The most useful is the TSA anchor with a sleeve (picture 1), which expands when the nut is tightened (expansion anchor), which prevents it from being pulled out or uprooted. We recommend an anchor with an outer diameter of ø10mm and a length of at least 60mm. For belay stations or anchor points, we recommend an anchor length of at least 70 mm.

Plates can be galvanized or stainless steel. Choose the fixing anchors accordingly. It is important that the plate and the anchor are made of the same material!

A plate - the ear and the bolt together form an anchor (picture 1).

The load-bearing capacity of the anchor depends on the installation, the rock, and the direction of the load relative to the axis of the fixing anchor. The load-bearing capacity of a well-placed anchor in solid rock is over 30kN for a perpendicular load, and 18kN for a load in the direction of the anchor's axis (depending on the anchor manufacturer).

First, check the quality of the rock with a hammer. Before drilling the hole, it is necessary to level the surface on which the plate or bolt will lie. Holes are drilled perpendicular to the surface with a drill or by hand with a 10mm diameter hand percussion drill. The depth of the hole is determined according to the length of the bolt that we want to use (10 mm less than the length of the bolt).

Example: for a 70mm long bolt, the hole depth should be at least 60mm.

Anchor Installation

• Check the quality of the support around the anchor making sure that the rock is compact and consistent; level the surface around if necessary.
• Drill perpendicular to the surface of the rock. Thoroughly clean the hole with a jet of air and then with a brush.
• Prepare the anchor by placing a plate on the bolt and screw the nut, so that three turns of the thread are visible.
• Insert the bolt with the plate all the way into the hole as far as it will go and tap it with the hammer.
• Begin to tighten the nut that pulls the bolt out far enough and it is firmly set in place. This usually happens after two to four turns. If the barrel of the bolt still doesn't grab after seven turns, it means it has no resistance. This usually means that the drilled hole is too big or the quality of the support is bad. You need to pull it out or at least detach/remove the plate from it so it can't be used by someone else.

It is very important that the nut must be screwed onto the plate with the entire surface. If this is not the case, we have not aligned the bearing surface well or drilled the hole too laterally.

Plates and anchors installation

The installation of anchor plates with a ring is the same, but we recommend an anchor length of at least 70 mm, which should be made of stainless steel.

Two points anchor installation

• Choose a suitable place to install the anchor (space for two attachment points, choice of rock quality, location of the plates).
• First, fix an anchor plate (the assembly procedure is the same).
• Select the second anchor point so that it is moved in height and width. The position of the second hole is chosen so that the main ring is evenly loaded at both attachment points. The angle between the first and the second point should be less than 60°.
• All other mounting methods are the same as a single anchor.

Possible irregularities

• If the barrel of the bolt does not grip when tightening the nut and the bolt rotates in the drill hole – such an anchor is not useful (the reason is the drill hole is too large or the rock quality is poor). Such an anchor must be removed!
• During drilling, part of the supporting surface around the hole broke off. Do not insert a bolt into such a hole (drill a new one instead).
• We did not drill the hole perpendicular to the rock and the plate is not lying on the surface. Such an anchor is not useful since the rock and/or the bolt may crack under heavy load. Such an anchor must be removed!

(Image source: Manual for mountain rescuers, Pavel Oman)