Restrained joint apparatus, uses of, and methods for making, the same

Abstract

A restrained joint apparatus, applications of the apparatus, and methods for making the apparatus are described. The apparatus is a wood-frame coupling that establishes the restrained joint with movement resistance and moment resistance of a wood member coupled with a frame. The frame includes a body with a wall. The frame can be a unitary structure wherein the wall of the body is arranged to replace an outer perimeter of the end of the wood member so that the wood member and the frame form the wood-frame coupling. In another embodiment, the frame is formed of a plurality of frame plates joined together about the perimeter of the wood member. The invention includes various applications for the wood-frame coupling where a restrained joint is useful such as in an EMC composite member configuration. The invention includes a method of making the wood-frame coupling wherein the first described is forced onto and into the end of the wood member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for joining together two structural components, the apparatus comprising:
 a first End Moment Coupling (EMC) including a wood-frame coupling and one or more tension members that are affixed to the wood-frame coupling;   a second EMC including a wood-frame coupling and one or more tension members that are affixed to the wood-frame coupling;   wherein the first EMC and the second EMC are spaced from one another;   wherein the first EMC and the second EMC have a common wood member as the basis of their respective wood-frame couplings;   wherein the first EMC and the second EMC are joined together by the one or more tension members that are affixed to the wood-frame coupling of the first EMC and the wood-frame coupling of the second EMC, and   wherein the one or more tension members are arranged in substantial parallel to and spaced from the common wood member to form an EMC composite member.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of EMC composite members are joined together. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of EMC composite members have common tension members. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of EMC composite members has its own discrete set of plurality of tension members. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the tension members are steel threaded rods. 
     
     
         1 . pparatus of claim  1 , wherein a flange is used to affix the tension members to the wood-flange couplings of the first EMC and the second EMC. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein locking nuts are used to join the tension members to the flanges of the first EMC and the second EMC. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the common wood member has a cross-sectional area greater than a cross-sectional area of the wood-frame couplings of the first EMC member and the second EMC member. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein a compression plate connected to the wood-frame coupling of the first EMC and the second EMC are used affix the tension members to same wood-flange couplings of the first EMC and the second EMC. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the compression plates of the first EMC and the second EMC are used to compress and pre-stress the common wood member. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the compression plate is used to create a wood-frame coupling by uniformly tightening affixed plurality of tension members. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein each of the wood columns includes preformed holes or preformed channels for passing the tension members therethrough. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the preformed holes or preformed channels for passing the tension members therethrough connect compression plates locked in place with locking nuts. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the locking nuts allow the tension member to slide freely in cases where compression plates of the first EMC and the second EMC are compressing the common wood member. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein a plurality of EMC composite members are joined together. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of EMC composite members have common tension members. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of EMC composite members has its own discrete set of plurality of tension members.