The overall aim of this research proposal is improvement to the safety, design criteria and assessment of multi-strand anchorages. In order to achieve this, the work will focus on the most critical aspects, the anchorage head and fixed anchorage length. The research will combine extensive full-scale laboratory work with numerical modelling. The overall testing will comprise initial field and laboratory testing. The initial field testing will be carried out on a number of already installed multi strand anchorages with different anchorage head assemblies. This will be followed by the construction and testing of two full scale strand anchorages - one will be a two-strand rock anchorage and the other will be a typical four-strand rock anchorages. In addition anchorage head test rigs will be constructed in order to obtain the stiffness characteristics of the anchorage heads. A numerical model of multi strand anchorages will be developed in order to investigate their dynamic response to changes in the anchorage head and/or fixed anchorage length. This will be validated and then used to provide the optimal stiffness characteristics for an anchorage head suitable for load estimation using dynamic testing.Finally, the results from both the laboratory and numerical studies will lead to the development of a new anchorage head design with a view to improving the assessment of the load condition of these anchorages. This will be tested on a full scale field anchorages of a similar design.