A
Th e
Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
February 2020 #12247 Page #118
Upgrade Your Coiled Strap: How an Innovative Embossment Takes Utility Straps to the Next Level By Rachel Holland S16 coiled straps. I can’t tell you how many thousands (maybe more) I specified during my time as a consulting engineer. Straps are used everywhere. They were then, and are now, a go-to solution for drag and uplift loads. I didn’t have to look them up in the catalog — I knew the allowable loads by heart.
C
Then one day at a jobsite, I saw a contractor installing them and thought, “Wow, that is labor intensive. His arm must be so tired!” Suddenly, I felt a little guilty for all of the straps I had personally specified on my projects. I thought there must be a better way. Fast-forward 10 years, and today I’m an R&D engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie, an industry leader that prides itself on offering products that improve construction, keep costs down and allow for a safer built environment. As fate would have it, straps fall into my area of responsibility. Now, thinking about what could be done to improve a flat, steel strap is part of my job. Specifiers use straps load rated based on a National Design Specification® (NDS®) nail calculation and an American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) steel calculation. How could Simpson Strong-Tie make that better? Neelima Tapata, one of our talented fastener engineers, spent a lot of time testing different embossment features providing higher allowable load values for nails when installed in the final feature. Once finalized, the feature accomplished two major goals: higher nail load values and the ability to install nails using most power nailers because it easily fit the nailer’s nosepiece. Contractors would no longer be slowed down by having to change out the tool they were using while framing in order to install a metal connector. This would save installers a lot of time, and, in the construction industry, time is money. This was a breakthrough for Simpson Strong-Tie and the initial steps that allowed us to upgrade our coiled strap. We worked directly with the American Wood Council (AWC) and ICC-ES to seek approval for the innovative embossment. There were many questions, but after we addressed them all, the feature was approved and is now patent pending.
Continued next page
PHONE: 800-289-5627
Read/Subscribe online at www.componentadvertiser.com
FAX: 800-524-4982