A truss connector plate, or gang plate, is a kind of tie. Truss plates are light gauge metal plates used to connect prefabricated light frame wood

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

es. They are produced by punching light gauge galvanized steel to create teeth on one side. The teeth are embedded in and hold the wooden frame components to the plate and each other. Nail plates are used to connect timber of the same thickness in the same plane. When used on trusses, they are pressed into the side of the timber using tools such as a

hydraulic press A hydraulic press is a machine press using a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressive force. It uses the hydraulic equivalent of a mechanical lever, and was also known as a Bramah press after the inventor, Joseph Bramah, of England. He inven ...

or a roller. As the plate is pressed in, the teeth are all driven into the wood fibers simultaneously, and the compression between adjacent teeth reduces the tendency of the wood to split. A truss connector plate is manufactured from

ASTM ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...

A653/A653M, A591, A792/A792M, or A167 structural quality

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

and is protected with

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

or zinc-aluminum alloy coatings or their

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

equivalent. Metal connector plates are manufactured with varying length, width and thickness (or gauge) and are designed to laterally transmit loads in wood. They are also known as stud ties, metal connector plates, mending plates, or nail plates. However, not all types of nail plates are approved for use in trusses and other structurally critical placements.

History

John Calvin Jureit invented the truss connector plate and patented it in 1955. He formed the company Gang-Nails, Inc. which was later renamed Automated Building Components, Inc.

References

Structural engineering {{Civil-engineering-stub