Design of structural timber connections
Connections are an essential part of any structure, and in timber structures they are often the most critical part of a design. The timber section size is often determined by the strength of the section remaining after drilling holes for bolts or dowels, or by the spacing requirements for the fasteners, rather than the load-carrying capacity of the timber. Therefore the design of connections is an important section of any timber design standard.
When selecting and detailing connections for a particular application, designers must consider four criteria:
- Load transfer
- Fire resistance
- Durability
- Appearance
This Wood Information Sheet (WIS) focuses on the load transfer aspect and is intended mainly for engineers and architects. This WIS is an overview of the subject with signposts to more detailed sources that are listed at the end.
Contents:
- Connection types
- Fastening methods
- Design of laterally loaded connections
- Design of axially loaded connections
- Spacing of fasteners
This Wood Information Sheet was reviewed in February 2017 and minor corrections were made to the references section.
Suggested Reading
Performance of fire-resisting timber doorsets
Fire-resisting doorsets are required to be able to contain a fully developed fire, to facilitate escape of a building's occupants and allow fire fighting, and to protect the contents and/or the structure from the effects of fire. The doorset therefore must have resistance to fire, expressed in terms of time.
...11/04/2017 | Wood Information Sheet
How does CLT perform in a fire?
Oliver Neve explains what happens to CLT during a fire, extracted from TRADA’s forthcoming book on the performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT).
Article from Timber 2017 Industry Yearbook
01/03/2017 | Magazine Article
Fire performance of timber frame dwellings
This Wood Information Sheet, produced in association with the UK Timber Frame Association, explains the basic principles used in meeting fire performance requirements and provides guidance to ensure that all parties involved understand their role in the design and construction of a timber frame building.
The sheet considers...
12/09/2016 | Wood Information Sheet
