Some notes about

The Joints in wood structures

Connecting structures . . . .
The performance, the design, the jointing

Hannu Hirsi

Dt, Heini Kovanen ;

The Structure and User interface of a Design
Software for Timber Connections
Typical solutions for timber joints :
Beam to beam joints :

Contact

Reinforcements :

Shear

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Properties of timber for mechanical joints -
Embedding strength :
Mechanical connectors compress the timber LOCALLY and in
the SELECTED area
Compression cause compress, shear and tensile stresses
Again tension perpendicular to the grain is often critical.
Moisture, density, connector size and time decrease the
strength dramatically:
More than in structures.

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Properties of timber for mechanical joints -

Foundation modulus :
Moisture, density, connector size and time decrease the
modulus even more dramatically:
Never forget that movements can be very large in joints

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Cracking in perpendicular direction :
Fixings near opposite
edge of structure :
beware of tension . . .

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The performance of joints (ISO 3447)

To have acceptable appearance (esthetics, visible joints)
and maintain it acceptable.
To control (building physics, )
passage of heat, fire, sound, water vapour, water, snow , air, gases,
odours, pressure, dust, plants, insects and light. Condensation and
generation of sound and emissions.
To resist (structural mechanics)
compression, tension, bending, shear, torsion, vibrations, abrasion,
shrinkage or expansion, creep and dilation
To accomodate variations in the size (wood science)
thermal, moisture and structural movements and to permit operation of
movable components
Advantageous, constructional, durable solution.

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Joints in engineering structures
Construction joint
work has to be interrupted
Contraction joint
shrinkage movements
Expansion joint Normally we
variations in temperature and moisture content dont have to
Movement joint take in account
relative movement between adjoining parts in timber
structures
Settlement joint
unequal foundation pressure
Sliding joint
permit relative movement in the plane of the joint

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Main stresses :
At the free edge of the cantilever
only bending stresses are
present.
At intermediate point in the
cantilever both bending and
shear stresses are present.
At the neutral axis of cantilever
only shear stresses are
present.Principal stresses are at
the 45 angle.

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Main stresses continues...
General load-carrying
mechanisms present in
beams
Cable action
Arch action

Design the joints so that all

forces are concluded

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Ductility of structures
1. Brittle structures Brittle
Timber (concrete, cast iron)
2. Ductile structures Glue-
laminated
Timber connected with ductile
timber beam
material (steel)
Ductile

Plasticity of structures is a very

useful and desirable property. Bolted timber
ductility means new hinges in beam
structures during loading

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The jointing works in timber
structures:
Jointing consist :
Positioning:
Joint reference plane.
Fixing:
Adhesion.
Connection.
Fastening.
Locking.
Protection:
Sealing.

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Fastenings :
Point:
Single bolts
Line:
Few nails or screws
Surface:
Glued joints

Visible -
invisible

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Mechanical fastening of timber joints :
1. Nails

2. Bolts and dowels

3. Screws

4. Nail- plates

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Dowel joints :
Simple, low-price joints, easy to do.

Problems:
Low capacity, lot of dowels, lot of space.
Tension against the grain.
Reductions in sections.
Splitting and cracking.
Block cracking.
Moment capacity.

Theory of Dowel Joints gives us possibility to develop

theoretically new joint types.

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Glued joints :
Only used in prefabricated
joints made in workshops.
Have to been controlled by
quality systems.

Timber joint made by glued plywood

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1. Nails and staples :

Nails means cracks and splitting

Select the nails carefully.

Staples

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Nails continues...
Nail-joints are very ductile
connections.

Humidity effects are great

in nail-joints
changing humidity is
worst situation

Structural rules are very

important :
edge distances. Crecking.

Staples

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Example :
The possibilities of nails.
How to get more with less:
1. Cap for welding machine
2. Bigger bending capacity
3. Bigger pull out capacity
4. Less force during pressing
5. Less cracks
6. Bigger bending capacity
7. High strength steel
8. Near each other
9. Longer nails

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2. Screws and bolts :
Winning technology in the future :
more presicely,
good load-bearing capacity and
easy to reassemble.

Together with connectors and

reinforcement.

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Axially loaded screws :

Failure modes :
Grip strength of screw stem / shear failure of
wood.
Punch strength of head / compression against the
grain of the wood.
Strength of screw stem.

Compression through the wood / compression

against the grain of the wood.
Buckling.

Tuen vahvistaminen

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Axially loaded screws glued bolts :
Specially in frame-structures
and basement joints.

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Screws in an angle :
Much better for high strength
screws :
Shear of screws.
Tension in screws
Friction

Compression :

Tension :

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3. Nail-plates and nailing plates :
Still the most advanced
technology in mechanical
fastenigs.

Allways check the

direction of nail-plate.

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Dowel joints :
Only in log span timber structures.
Together with bolts or screws.
Stiff, fire-resistant and strong joint.

Greim joint.

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Example :
The possibilities of nail-plates

Deforming nail-plates
gives a lot new
possibilities:

Nailing-plates are
widely used in
building sites
reinforced joints

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Typical solutions :
Lot of nails and large plates,
always some nails hit.
Capacity according to effective
area and direction of loading.

VTT gives rules of dimeansioning

for different plates.
Quasi-theoretical formulas.

Splitting of timber PR I 26

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Nail-plates :
No gap allowed between
timber and nail-plates.

2 mm
gap
Check trusses in
building-sites after
assembly.

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Defects in assembly of nail-plates,

strength reductions :
Gap between timber and plate :
2 mm, 1,3 mm plate ; - 30 % and 1,0 mm plate; - 50 %
Can be fixed by hammering.
Changing the plate after compression : - 30 % .... - 50 %
Too much compression : 2 mm; -10 %.
Too wet timber during compression : w = 25 %; - 15 %.
Too wet service class : w = 25 %, - 25 %.
Too light timber : tiheys = 320 kg/m3; 8 %

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Heavy Nail-plates :
Designed specially
for LVL- trusses
technically
excellent
difficult to produce

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Curved Nail-plates:

Designed specially for round poles.

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Thin plate fixings:

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Beam shoes :

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Folded Nail-plates:

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Column foundation joint:

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Nailing strap:

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Cast iron:

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Connectors of timber joints :
Rings Problem is that
Shear-plate connector joints these connectors
needs skilful
Toothed-plate connector joints carpenters, net area
Timber dowels, rods and pins. of timber is small

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Connectors of timber joints continues...

Rings
Shear-plate
connector joints
Toothed-plate
connector joints
Timber dowels

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 Connectors of timber joints continues...

System Appel: System Kubler:

System Geka:

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Connectors of timber joints continues...

Bulldog:

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Connectors of timber joints continues...
Siemens - Bauunion:

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Reinforced joints :
Reinforcement gives more
strength and more
stiffness. Two methods :

1. Nail-plate reinforced
joint:
One-sided
Double-sided
Strengthening of wood,
no cracking allowed.

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Reinforced joints continues...

2. Cross-bolt reinforced
joints
More ductile joint
20 % less steel .
Strengthening of wood
and steel.

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Joist hangers and framing anchors :

We really have numerous good
hanger and framing systems.

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Anchorbolts :
We can use both mechanical and
glued anchor bolts.

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Carpentry joints,notched joints :

At the same time traditional and most
modern way of jointing timber
strucutures :
The problem is that it has not been
commercially interesting.
Do not use too massive timber parts.

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Carpentry joints continues...

With numerically controlled

machines it is easy to
produce precise carpentary
joints

Ansasvaarnapalkkikokeiden
koejrjestelyt :

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Carpentry joints continues...

No problems in our tests

with precision and quality.

Overloading

Suunnikasvaarnapalkkien
murtokohdat :

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Carpentry joints continues...
Load-bearing capacity of carpentry joints is
good enough for every purpose.

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Glued joints :
Finger joints have not been
utilized enough in timber
constructions.
technically much better than
lapped joints
Easy way to get more rigid
structures

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Structural joint design topics :
1. Shrinkage and swelling

2. Eccentricities

3. Group action

4. Combination of fasteners

5. Fire resistance and durability

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1. Shrinkage and swelling :

In restrained areas by
fasteners moisture
movements can cause
stresses perpendicular to
strain and induce splitting.

Try :
Better form of fastener
groups
Oval-shaped holes
Cut long steel parts into
smaller pieces.

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2. Eccentricities :
Loads, joints and the
members should be
symmetrical and
concentric.

Try:
Better placement of parts
Better fastener groups

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3. Group action :
Block shear failure in joint :
failure of the net tension area.
failure of the net shear area.

Try:
Bigger sections of structures and larger net areas.

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4. Combination of fasteners :
Usually you better not
combine fasteners.

Dont even try

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Combination of
fasteners continues... Fu Glued joint
( kN )
Avoid overloading of one
fastener group caused by large Split-ring
stiffness differences.
Punched - plate
Double sided toothed-plate

Dowel

Bolt

Nail

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5. Fire resistance and durability :
Easy to control
Use more timber
Hide the fasteners inside the
structures

Fire-test durability was 39

minutes.

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Some examples of
joints in timber structures :
1. Bolted trusses

2. Kerto - Laminated Veneer Lumber Truss

3. Timber-framed halls

4. Timber-framed small and multistory houses

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Joints of trusses, bolted trusses :
Only for special purposes, not
in common use
expensive, a lot of work
durability, fire-resistance

Easy to design and

analyse.

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Kerto -
Laminated Veneer Lumber Truss :
Only for special purposes, not
in common use
expensive, a lot of work
durability, fire-resistance

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Small timber frames :
Good-propotion of
structure.

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Joints of small timber frames :

Glue- laminated timber and
finger joints

Plywood

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Joints of timber frames :
Dowel type fasteners :
Bolt hole clearances should be
under 0.2 mm

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Engineer structures :
See you in WS II,
I hope !

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Timber-framed houses :
We have also tested finnish
PLATFORM- technology. Ikkunapilarin ja palkin murtokuormitus
70
No problems could be found. Oikea murtokuorma = 62 kN

60 Suurin kuormanarvo = 57.6 kN

Use one Joint-Technology in 50

one building-site:

Kuorma ( kN )
Nails / screws and beam- 40

hangers are enough.

30

Ikkunapilarin
20 kuormitus 1
Ikkunapilarin
10
kuormitus 2
Ikkunapalkin
kuormitus
0
0 10 20 30
Painuma ja taipuma ( mm )

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Furniture joints :
Do not mix them with
structural joints :
But the basic ideas are
usable !
In the propositions of
architects in many
times the ideas are
here.

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