The fischer Group of Companies is renaming its stainless steel products to comply with the CRC corrosion resistance classes (I to V) in accordance with DIN EN 1993-1-4. The fixings specialist is thereby aligning the terms for its steel anchors with the European standards for material selection for the design of steel structures. This ensures that the product descriptions are harmonised and simplified on an international scale. 

The move allows civil engineers, designers and engineers across the globe to see at a glance whether fixing solutions meet anti-corrosion requirements. The classification helps guarantee the building’s stability, preventing harm to life and limb. Suitable materials and measures depend on the environmental conditions. The level of corrosion exposure is much higher close to seawater or chlorinated swimming pools than in other areas, for instance. 

A tragic accident at an indoor swimming pool in Uster (Switzerland) demonstrated the importance of protecting individual construction elements including steel anchors from corrosion. During the accident in 1985, a 200-tonne concrete roof collapsed, burying 40 people beneath it and resulting in the loss of 12 lives. This was caused by the fixings being damaged by corrosion. CRC classifications can help prevent incidents such as these.

The letter R (which stands for resistant) signifies that stainless steel fischer products belong to corrosion resistance class III (CRC III). Alongside austenitic steel, this will also include austenitic-ferritic (duplex) steel. These products provide positive performance features and corrosion resistance due to advantageous alloying elements. They can be used for applications outdoors, in industrial and coastal atmospheres as well as in damp locations in accordance with the ETAs.

Steel fischer products made of the highest corrosion resistance class V will bear the initial HCR (high corrosion resistance) in future. These stainless steels can also be used for particularly aggressive application conditions in addition to CRC III applications. These include alternating submersion in seawater or chlorinated atmospheres in indoor swimming pools. The data in the fischer Fixperience design software will also undergo changes due to the renaming of the fixing specialist’s steel anchors. It will now be even easier for users to verify state-of-the-art designs with corrosion-resistant steel anchors that are valid across Europe. The altered descriptions and the classifications of the corresponding material numbers have also been applied to all approvals and evaluations. 

Products already on the market featuring the A4 designation can continue to be used. Structural engineering calculations and tenders that have already been created using the A4 description can still be carried out with products that have been renamed R. The product characteristics remain unaffected by the change of name. 

The changes will apply to fischer’s entire range of products. As of 1 July 2020, the approvals for the anchor rods FIS A and RG M, the bolt anchors FAZ II and FBN II and the high-performance anchor FH II will be altered in succession. The remaining products will subsequently be renamed while any technical data, the product part numbers and fischer’s renowned quality will remain unchanged.