Anchor plate

An anchor plate or wall washer is a large plate or washer connected to a tie rod or bolt. Anchor plates are used on exterior walls of masonry buildings, for structural reinforcement. Being visible, many anchor plates are made in a style that is decorative.[1]

One popular style is the star anchor—an anchor plate cast or wrought in the shape of a five-pointed star. Other names and styles of anchor plate include earthquake washer, triangular washer, S-iron, and T-head.[1] In the United Kingdom, pattress plate is the term for circular restraints,[2] tie bar being an alternate term for rectangular restraints.

Anchor plates are made of cast iron, sometimes wrought iron or steel, and are often used on brick or other masonry-based buildings. They are easy to find in cities with substantial legacies of 18th- and 19th-century brick construction, such as New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Charleston, South Carolina, and in older earthquake prone cities such as San Francisco. The tie-rod-and-plate assembly braces the masonry wall against lateral bowing.

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Gallery

on a building in Washington D.C.  
Tie rods and anchor plates in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral  
 
 
 
A star-shaped anchor plate in Soulard, St Louis  

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Bucher, Ward (1996). Dictionary of Building Preservation. Preservation Press. pp. 576. 
  2. ^ Pattress plate example stainless-uk.co.uk