Hinge Connector Specifier Guide

Hinge connectors are designed to transfer loads between two beams aligned end-to-end from the end of the supported beam to the end of the supporting beam through a combination of bearing plates, side plates and bolts. Besides supporting gravity load, hinge connectors can also be ordered with additional bolt holes to resist horizontal loads if the beams are part of the continuous lateral load path.

General Requirements

• Supporting and supported beams must be the same width.
• Supporting beam should be at least as deep as the supported beam. Contact Simpson Strong-Tie if the supporting beam is shallower than supported beam.
• Minimum supported beam depth is 8" for connectors without lateral capacity and 14" with lateral capacity. Maximum depth of the supported beam is 60".

Special Considerations for Dapping

HCA hinge connectors can also be ordered to accommodate dapping, or notching on the top of the beam. This notching allows the bearing plate to be flush with the top surface. Dapping on the bottom of the beam is uncommon and requires approval from the Designer.

When ordering an HCA hinge connector for a beam dapped on the top side, remember to subtract the plate thickness from the height of the carried beam when specifying the connector height. See Step 4 below for an example for ordering a hanger for a dapped beam.

How to Specify a Hinge Connector

Example

6 3/4" x 21" glulam with 20,000 lb. of roof load and 11,000 lb. of horizontal load (@ 160% duration).

Step 1 — Select Base Model Prefix using the "Horizontal Load Table":

• If there is no horizontal load — pick either HCA or HC3A.
• For the 11,000 lb. shown in example, choose either HCCTA with two rotation bolts or HCC3TA with three rotation bolts each with 14,850 lb. of horizontal capacity.

Horizontal Load Table

1. Loads include a 60% increase for earth quake or wind loading with no further increase allowed.
2. Horizontal loads are for Douglas fir–larch glulams minimum W = 3 1/8". For other wood types, adjust the load according to the code.

Step 2 — Select Model Size Suffix using the "Allowable Download Table":

Capacity of a hinge connector is determined by the depth of the beam and the length of the bearing plates.

• For minimum allowable load capacity, beam depth has to be at least 8" (Min. H).
• For 100% of the allowable load, beam depth has to meet or exceed H₁ dimension.
• For depth between min. H and H₁, load value can be interpolated using the following equation:
  [(H₁Capacity - H_minCapacity) x (H_acutal - H_min) / (H₁-H_min)] + H_minCapacity

Step 3 — Select suffix based on width of the beam:

Using the "Beam Width" column, a 6 3/4"-wide glulam requires a 7 series connector (highlighted box in table).

Step 4 — Determine the exact height (H) of the beam:

Bearing plates will protrude beyond the beams which may interfere with applying plywood or other finish material. To flush the connector, the beams can be dapped to recess the bearing plates, which reduces the effective height of the beam (H dimension) by the thickness of the bearing plate (PT). In the example, H will become 21"-1" = 20" to flush out the top bearing plate. The following steps assume the beam is undapped.

Step 5 — Determine the allowable load:

Loads listed in the table include a 25% increase for roof loads. If the hinge connector is used to support other loading conditions, reduce the values according to code.

Step 6 — Narrow down the selection based on beam depth and load requirement:

20,000 lb. is required, so 7-5 does not work because the allowable roof load capacity is 18,900 lb.. 7-6 initially looks suitable, but the 21" beam is shallower than 24" H₁ dimension. Interpolation is required. Using numbers from "Two Rotation Bolts Per Beam" columns the allowable is determined to be:
[(22,680 lb. - 2,595 lb.) x (21"-8") / (24"-8")] + 2,595 lb. = 18,914 lb. < 20,000 lb. required.

Two rotation bolts per beam are not enough to handle the load. To achieve higher load capacity, upgrade to three rotation bolts and use the values from "Three Rotation Bolts Per Beam" columns. The allowable roof load at H₁ of 18" is 22,680 lb. > 20,000 lb. required.

Final Step:

Combining the model prefix, suffix and height, the hinge connector most suitable for our example is:
HCC3TA7-6, H = 21"

Allowable Download Table

HCA

HCCTA

HC3A