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Engineered lumber products have entered the mainstream of materials
used for construction.
As a natural extension of the advent and acceptance of Engineered wood
products (EWP), hardware and connectors for these products have been
successfully developed. Many of the familiar connectors that have
been used for decades on traditional dimension lumber have been adapted
for use with EWP, but there are significant differences to keep in
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Shape
The
I-joist is a very efficient structural shape. The dry
wood and side cavities make them light to handle, but
also deserving of a few extra hanger considerations.
Most notably, hangers which don't directly support the top flange laterally require web stiffeners on the joist. That's why hangers like Simpson
Strong-Tie's ITS and IUS are extremely popular
for use with I-joists. They are designed to laterally
support the top flange, and therefore do not require
web stiffener installation. This design saves the framer
valuable time. Simpson Strong-Tie works closely with
EWP manufacturers to ensure compatibility. "Double-shear"
nail hangers, commonly used for solid, rectangular beams
and joists, are not suitable to support I-joists.
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Sizes
The
sizes of many EWP products differ from those traditionally
available for dimensional lumber—and there are
hangers available for almost any size. Height call-outs
of these lumber and hanger products usually hold true.
For example, a 4x14 dimensional lumber is actually about
13 1/4" tall, whereas a 14" piece of
laminated veneer lumber (LVL) will be a full 14"
tall. More commonly than not, LVL comes in 1 3/4"
widths and is used in multiple laminations up to 4-plies.
Therefore, it is common to see hangers for EWP widths
of 1 3/4, 3 1/2, 5 1/4, and 7 inches.
Common heights include 7 1/4, 9 1/4, 9 1/2,
11 1/4, 11 7/8, 14, 16, 18, and so on. You
should note that it's important to fasten multiple plies
of LVL together properly; see the manufacturer's instructions.
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Fasteners
Beams and column made from structural composite lumber (SCL) typically exhibit a wide face (veneer or strand face) and a narrow (glueline) face. Most SCL manufacturers prefer not to use large nails such as N54 which are 1/4-inch in diameter. Connectors designed for EWP members specify the proper size fasteners.
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As
a reminder to framing crews on the jobsite, Simpson
Strong-Tie has published an Installation Guide for Composite
Wood Products (WC-EWPBI08). This wall chart covers
installation tips for many EWP hangers and is available
at no cost.
So,
when you order hangers for use with engineered wood
members, check for hangers that have the right size,
shape, fasteners, and load capacity for the connection.
They make your job easier and faster—and the structure
stronger and safer. |
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