Truss plates connect truss components, making the connection stronger than direct connection. They are used in home construction for roof trusses and in other structures like bridges and steel roofs. Truss plates make structures stiffer and stronger.
A truss plate is a device used to connect the different components of a truss, which is used to carry weight over an arc of space. Truss plates are flat pieces of metal placed where two or more different pieces meet. A plate is attached to each of the pieces and carries the load between them, making the connection stronger than it would be by connecting them directly together. A truss plate is often used with timber members, such as two-by-fours, in house construction to facilitate the construction of roof trusses; however, they are also used in many other types of construction such as bridges and steel structures.
In home construction, roof trusses are often pre-built in a factory or shop floor and then brought to the site where the home is being built. At the structure, the timber components of the roof trusses are arranged in the correct pattern to properly distribute the weight of the roof to the supporting walls of the structure. A truss plate is cut to the shape of each of the connection points of the boards that make up the roof truss. Each truss plate is nailed or stapled into place, connecting the boards to each other into a single unit.
The truss plates tend to make the roof truss structure much stronger than it would be by nailing the boards directly together. When directly connected, there are relatively few nails in a small area of the truss, and the nails are driven in the same direction that the weight of the roof will pull on the trusses. Therefore, when under stress, the nails connecting the trellis will be pulled out.
A truss plate can extend as deep as the board as necessary to provide the desired amount of surface area to connect the boards. With a much larger area, many more nails or staples can be used. Also, the angle of the nails or staples is not in line with the direction of the force, but directly opposite it. The stresses on the connecting joint are supported by the metal beam instead of the wooden framework.
Truss plates are also used to build the trusses used for bridges, steel roofs, and other structures. With steel structures such as a railway bridge, the trusses can be bolted, welded, or riveted into place, making the structure much stiffer and stronger. Other structures, such as structures for large pieces of industrial machinery, also use truss plates, which are usually welded into place across the steel frames.
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