Set a drop-in anchor only after drilling the specified hole, clearing it as instructed and using the correct manual or automatic setting tool to drive it to the required depth. This matters most on overhead M&E brackets and service supports, where an under-set anchor may not carry its intended load.
For the M&E industry the drop-in anchor, (otherwise known as wedge anchors / hammer sets / ceiling anchors /over-head anchors) are often the anchors that are installed incorrectly. In most cases, anchor installation failure is due to the installer not knowing which setting tool to use and how to correctly set the anchor.
Drop-in anchors are quite tricky to manually set, you must use the correct setting tool and have got to hit them quite hard for several blows with a suitable sized hammer to set them. You have got to drive the plug-in to the correct depth. Often the drop-in anchor is underset, when they are loaded incorrectly, they will only take a partial load, resulting in bracket collapse.
For this you will need:
To install a drop-in anchor the first task is to drill the hole to the correct depth suitable to the specified anchor, you then clean the hole using a blow-out pump, finally, you can either use a manual or automatic setting tool to complete the installation.
Please note: It is critical when installing an anchor that holes are drilled to the correct diameter and depth. Using a worn drill bit results in undersized holes, making installation difficult and increasing stresses in the anchor material and potentially leading to a failure - inspect drill bits frequently and replace when worn.
Removing dust from holes is also important to prevent the anchor bottoming (anchor failing) on the compacted dust.
One way to set a drop-in anchor is through an automatic setting tool, simply slip the setting tool housing over the stop drill bit, insert this into the SDS drill ‘turn on to hammer only’ and you can then automatically insert the wedge anchor.
It is important to note that according to BS 8539:2012;
‘To ensure wedge anchors are correctly set use only the setting tools supplied by the manufacturer. Using an SDS setting tool generally achieves better results than can be achieved by hand especially in overhead situations’.
The second way to set an anchor is by using manual setting tools. Using the correctly weighted hammer blow the anchor several times ensuring you can drive the plug-in to the correct depth. Please note, if you are using a setting tool equipped with a witness mark ensure that this is left in the lip of the anchor for correct installation.