Double shear testing of cable bolts with no concrete face contacts

A new series of double shear tests were carried out using a newly modified double shear apparatus which prevented contacts between concrete block surfaces during shearing. 13 double shear tests were carried out using 21 mm diameter 19 (9 x 9 x 1) seal construction wire strand cable (also called Superstrand cable), Plain SUMO, Indented SUMO, Spiral MW9 and Plain MW10 cable bolts. These cables were tested subjected to different pretension loads. Concrete blocks with Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) of 40 MPa and Stratabinder grout were used for all the tests to maintain test consistency. The results show that the peak shear load and the corresponding shear displacement decrease by increasing the pretension load of the tested cable. The Ultimate tensile strength, lay length, number of wires and cable bolt surface profile type (plain and spiral/indented) are important factors in total shear strength of the cable bolt.