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Component Manufacturing dverti$ dverti $ er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$$er
November 2022 #14280 Page #33
Are You Removing the Connectors Carefully When Replacing Them? By Glenn Traylor
F
ace the facts—occasionally, it is necessary to replace connectors. It’s part of the manufacturing process. In my May 2016 article, Is There a Reduction For Plating in a Previously Plated Area?, we discuss the limitations and considerations of removing a plate, including upsizing the plate and how to calculate the necessary upsize connector. The area of the chord and web members where holes have been made by the original plate loses 50% of its capacity, so the replacement must be done with a larger plate. Typically, smaller plates can be replaced by upsizing the connector by height and width up one size, but as the plate size increases the proportion must increase. Witnessing a truss repair recently, I noticed a truss builder aggressively removing a connector. Although I had thought this was intuitive, it needs to be said aloud—special care must be taken when removing a plate. After removing the plate, this truss builder was planning to just replace the plate with a slightly upsized connector, but I asked him to wait until we could investigate the repair. Unfortunately, a significant amount of wood had been removed, which created a significant problem. The area that was damaged by the wood removal had become totally ineffective. That meant additional tooth count would be required in the damaged area. Bringing this to the attention of the builder and his supervisor, I realized this calculation surprised them. Per ANSI/TPI 1 section 3.9.2, when a plate is removed, the area of removed lumber becomes ineffective.
As shown in these photos, a significant amount of wood may be destroyed while removing the connector. This area must be replaced 100% by upsizing the connector accordingly.
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