Experimental and Mechanical Analysis of the Yielding Support Behavior of a Novel Compact Yielding Anchor Cable

Development of a novel compact yielding anchor cable aims to address the demand for anchorage support in deep rock masses that experience significant deformation. This innovative cable utilizes the combined energy release principles of the expansion tube and spiral transmission. The yielding device primarily consists of an external yielding sleeve (threaded tube) and an internal yielding body. The internal yielding body is created by embedding a cone within the steel strand of the anchor cable. Through extrusion slip and cooperative fastening rotation, the yielding mechanism achieves high-strength constant-resistance yielding support within a small aperture. A thorough analysis of the yielding mechanical behavior has led to the establishment of a theoretical calculation model for the yielding force. This was followed by experimental investigations into the mechanical characteristics. The key findings are as follows: (1) the length and the large end diameter of the yielding body are crucial parameters that influence the yielding performance, with the length having a more significant impact; (2) the yielding force ranges from 121.4 to 170.4 kN, demonstrating high-strength yielding within a compact design; (3) the theoretical values of the yielding force show a deviation ranging from − 17.3 to 13.4