Sheet Metal Web Stiffener And Chord Nailing Restrictor For Wooden I-Joist

Abstract

A monolithic sheet metal chord nailing restricting and web stiffening device features a chord plate combined with a web stiffening structure configured for lateral attachment to the web of a wooden I-joist. The chord plate is positioned on the bottom of the web stiffening structure and features a nail restricting hole having a diameter that corresponds to a predetermined diameter of a chord nail as defined by wooden I-joist manufacturers. The web stiffening structure has a web plate for attachment to the web and a buckling opposing web stiffening rib. Once the web stiffening structure is attached to the web above the bearing rest the nail restricting hole restricts chord nailing position and nail shaft diameter to manufacturer defined limits. Two devices may be combined by a web front bridge plate for simultaneous attachment of two opposite devices along an I-joist end.

1 . A monolithic I-joist chord end nailing restricting device comprising: 
 a. a chord plate having a web edge;    b. a I-joist front flush face substantially perpendicular to said web edge; and    c. a nail restricting hole in said chord plate, said nail restricting hole being in a web nailing clearance to said web edge and in a chord front nailing clearance to said I-joist front flush face, said nail restricting hole having a diameter corresponding to a predetermined chord nail diameter.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a web stiffening structure combined with said chord plate along said web edge and protruding substantially perpendicularly away from a top side of said chord plate, said web stiffening structure having: 
 a. a web plate substantially coplanar with said web edge and substantially perpendicular with respect to said chord plate, said web plate having a web plate height;  
 b. a web stiffening rib substantially perpendicular with respect to said chord plate and in an angle to said web plate, said web stiffening rib extending substantially along said web plate height such that said web stiffening rib provides buckling stiffness to said web plate; and  
 c. a web fastening means including at least one of a web fastener hole, a web claw and a web bite edge.  
   
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 2 , further comprising a web front bridge plate combining two of said web plate in an U-profile along said web plate height such that two of said web plate are oppositely facing each other while forming a web gap, and wherein said I-joist front flush face is on an inside of said web front bridge plate pointing towards said web gap.  
   
   
       4 . The I-joist chord end nailing restrictor of  claim 3  being U-clamped to a web of a wooden I-joist via said U-profile while said two of said web plate are snug attached via said web fastening means at respective sides of said web, while said web front bridge plate is contacting a web front, while said chord plate is in a snug contact with a bottom chord top, such that a buckling tendency of said web is reduced below a predetermined safety limit.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 2  being snug attached to a web side of a wooden I-joist via said web plate, while said chord plate is in a snug contact with a bottom chord top, such that a buckling tendency of said web is reduced below a predetermined safety limit by said web stiffening structure.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein said I-joist front flush face is part of said chord plate and substantially flush with a bottom chord front of said I-joist.  
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein two of said chord plate are combined by an I-joist front plate extending perpendicularly away from a bottom of said chord plates, said two of said cord plate having a chord front edge substantially collinear with respect to each other and substantially perpendicular with respect to two respective of said web edges while said two respective web edges are facing each other substantially parallel spaced apart in a web contacting gap.  
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 1  being made of sheet metal.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 8 , being a monolithic structure.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said chord plate further comprises a centering funnel surrounding said nail restricting hole.  
   
   
       11 . A device for combined I-joist chord nailing restriction and web stiffening, said device comprising: 
 a. a chord plate having; 
 i. a web edge;  
 ii. a chord front edge;  
 iii. a chord side flush edge;  
 iv. a bottom side;  
 v. a top side;  
   b. two chord height bridging plates combined with respective ones of said two chord plate along respective ones of said chord side flush edges and extending away from respective ones of said plate bottoms substantially perpendicular with respect to said two chord plates, each of said chord height bridging plates having a bearing contact edge in a substantially parallel offset to a respective one of said chord side flush edge; and    c. two bearing plates each combined with a respective one of said two chord height bridging plates along respective ones of said bearing edges, said two bearing plates protruding away from each other and being substantially coplanar with respect to each other and plane parallel with respect to said two chord plates, each of said bearing plates having a bearing attachment hole.    
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein two of said chord plate are substantially coplanar and opposing each other with respective one of said web edge, wherein said respective web edges are substantially parallel and spaced apart by a web contacting gap, wherein said respective ones of said chord side flush edge are substantially parallel and spaced apart in a bottom chord distance, and wherein said two chord contacting plates are combined with each other by at least one of an I-joist front plate and a web stiffening structure, said I-joist front plate extending from both chord front edges, said web stiffening structure including two web plates and a web front bridge plate combining said two web plates in an U-profile protruding substantially perpendicular away from said plate top and holding said two web plates in a web contacting space, each of said web plates being combined with said chord plates along a respective one of said web contacting edges.  
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 11 , further comprising a web plate combined with said chord plate along said web edge and perpendicularly protruding away from said top side, said web plate having a web fastening means including at least one of a web fastener hole, a web claw and a web bite edge.  
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13 , further comprising a web stiffening rib substantially perpendicular with respect to said chord plate and in an angle to said web plate, said web stiffening rib extending substantially along said web plate height such that said web stiffening rib provides buckling stiffness to said web plate.  
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 11 , being made of sheet metal.  
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 15 , being a monolithic structure.  
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 11 , being U-clamped to a web of a wooden I-joist via said U-profile while said web edge is substantially coplanar with a side of said web, while at least one of said chord front flush edge is substantially flush with a bottom chord front of said I-joist and said web front bridge plate is contacting a web front, while said chord plate is in a snug contact with a bottom chord top, such that a buckling tendency of said web is reduced below a predetermined safety limit by said volume structure.  
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 11 , being attached to a web of a wooden I-joist via said web plate while said web edge is substantially coplanar with a side of said web, while said chord front flush edge is substantially flush with a bottom chord front of said I-joist, while said chord plate is in a snug contact with a bottom chord top, such that a buckling tendency of said web is reduced below a predetermined safety limit by said volume structure.  
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 11 , being attached to a bearing rest via a fastener guided through said bearing attachment hole and fixedly holding said bearing plate in a snug contact with a bearing surface of said bearing rest while said chord height bridge plate is limiting lateral movement of a wooden I-joist chord in lateral direction towards said chord height bridge plate and while chord plate is limiting vertical movement of said wooden I-joist chord in vertical direction towards said chord plate.