Fortress - Wall Anchors
The Fortress top anchor is post-tensioned after installation.
Fortress ensures that the top anchor and wall are engaged under tension and holding fast upon completion of the job. No other company in the UK offers a post-tensioned wall anchor, setting Fortress apart in the industry.
Bolting to the rim joist is safer. The sill plate alone cannot adequately support the load.
The Fortress top anchor is mechanically fastened to the rim joist, rather than the sill plate.
By connecting to the rim joist, the Fortress top anchor engages the building's floor system, providing a stronger and more durable anchor.
This method effectively prevents any movement of the basement wall, ensuring a reliable solution for UK homes.
A stronger connection
Many older homes in the UK do not have sufficient sill plate-to-foundation wall connections to guarantee that the sill plate will hold under stress.
By engaging the floor system (first-story floor to top of basement wall), Fortress provides the strongest and safest connection available in the UK market.
Fortress: The Best Bottom Anchor for Basement Wall Repair in the UK
The quality of the bottom anchor construction is paramount.
Preventing shear requires strength, which is why Fortress has designed their bottom anchor to be over 5 times thicker and 125 times stiffer than the competition in the UK market.
Additionally, Fortress ensures that the connection to the foundation is absolutely secure by using a dual-leg solution with specific contact lengths engineered to achieve a 200% safety factor.
The Fortress bottom plate anchor is unmatched in the UK basement wall repair industry.
The Fortress bottom anchor secures your wall from shear slide.
Shear slides can occur at the bottom of masonry walls where shear forces are greatest. This inward movement of the wall is defined as shear.
In typical situations, the basement floor prevents the bottom of your wall from moving inward, but where there are excessive shear forces, the Fortress bottom anchor is essential.
The bottom anchor utilises the basement floor to secure the Carbon-Kevlar strap and prevents shear slides.
The bottom anchor is suitable for both block and poured concrete walls in UK homes.
The best solution for bottom-of-wall anchors in the UK.
The Fortress bottom anchor takes the proven American Concrete Institute recommendation for anchoring carbon fibre straps and enhances it to meet the needs of UK homes and buildings.
What goes into the Fortress Carbon-Kevlar strap?
Not all carbon fibre is created equal.
Before considering another carbon fibre system in the UK, inquire about how their fibres are arranged.
Conventional manufacturers commonly weave the carbon, producing an attractive woven pattern.
However, this method crimps the fibres as they go over and under each other.
When force is applied to a woven pattern, the bent fibres attempt to straighten out, reducing their effectiveness.
You can see that it's done right.
Fortress has always been committed to delivering the best composite performance for UK homes.
All strength in fibre composites is achieved when the fibres are straight.
Unidirectional fibres lay flat, eliminating flex when force is applied.
The unidirectional method developed by Fortress creates a product twice as strong as those using woven carbon fibres.
This proprietary manufacturing process allows for a true unidirectional carbon product, which is the perfect tool to reinforce foundations in the UK.
Exclusive open grid technology for UK structures
Fortress' open grid technology (OGT), combined with epoxy rivet technology (ERT), connects to the carbon grid to form a mechanical bond to the wall.
Epoxy rivet technology forms an adhesive bond between the grid and the masonry substrate, which transfers load to the carbon fibre, creating both an adhesive bond and a mechanical "rivet" between each fibre of the grid.
A single strap secured to your wall contains over 8,000 epoxy rivets. OGT and ERT are exclusive to the Fortress system, providing UK homeowners and commercial buildings with a superior solution for basement wall repair.