Abstract:
A one-piece connecting member is provided that bridges or spans a beam disposed between two aligned structural members. A tunnel is formed in the beam to receive a connecting member. The connecting member attaches directly to both of the opposed structural members by means of heavy fasteners without the need of intermediary brackets. The connecting member is formed to provide both compressive and tensile resistance, and can be formed from tube steel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to building construction in general, and specifically to an improved method of connecting two structural members which are part of a system for improving a building&#39;s response to lateral forces. 
   The purpose of a continuity system is to provide an engineered structural mechanism that transfers lateral loads across the building, typically through a roof or floor diaphragm. A continuity system generally consists of a plurality of spaced continuity lines that extend completely across both the length and width of a building. High winds and earthquakes are the two most common means of generating lateral forces in a building. In tilt-up buildings made with concrete wall panels, the lateral forces generated by the motion of the heavy walls during an earthquake creates very severe lateral loads on the structure. 
   Continuity ties can be separate members which are used to improve the connection between existing members of the structure to create a continuity system. In buildings with diaphragm roofs or floors, continuity systems often incorporate otherwise required structural members such as purlins or beams of the roof or floor into the continuity lines. Specially designed continuity ties are used to interconnect these otherwise required members. The present invention deals with such continuity ties. 
   Brackets called holdowns in combination with threaded rods have long been used in the industry as continuity ties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,404, granted to Alfred D. Commins and William F. Leek teaches using a pair of holdowns as part of a continuity tie. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,404, column 7, line 9. More recent examples of such brackets include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,181 and 5,921,042, granted to Roger Wall Ashton, Robert Donald Lucey and John Duncan Pryor. 
   The above-mentioned patents are similar in how they form the particular continuity tie connection. A pair of aligned purlins to be connected are identified. Generally, the purlins will abut opposed sides of a beam. A first bracket is attached to a side of one of the purlins, and a second bracket is attached to the other purlin in alignment with the first bracket. A tunnel is then drilled through the beam in alignment with the brackets, and a bolt is run through the bore in the beam and attached to the two brackets by means of nuts, forming the connection between the two purlins. Depending on how the brackets are arranged and/or formed, these connections can resist both tension and compression forces. 
   The device of the present invention improves upon the connection made by the brackets of the prior art with a simpler design that is easier to install. Specifically, the device of the present invention does not require additional installation steps beyond those required to make a tension connection to also provide compression resistance. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a connection between a pair of structural members that is simple to construct. 
   The connection between the pair of structural member is designed to resist both tension and compression forces. 
   The connection of the present invention is designed to work in double-sided applications; that is, each structural member can have a pair of the connectors of the present invention secured to it. Preferably the pairs of connectors share the same bolts for attaching the connectors to the members. 
   The members that make up the means of connecting the pair of opposed structural members are simple to fabricate. 
   In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an integral member is provided that bridges or spans a beam disposed between two structural members. The connecting member passes through a tunnel in the intervening beam between two structural members. The spanning member, itself, attaches directly to both of the opposed structural members by means of heavy fasteners without the need of intermediary brackets. Thus the preferred embodiment of the present invention is very rigid, and the opportunity for slip between components of the connection system is reduced. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1A  is perspective view a connection formed according to the present invention. A first connecting member is shown joining a pair of second structural members. The second structural members are attached to the first structural member by hangers. The connecting member passes through a tunnel in the first member. Roof sheathing is shown applied to the first and second structural members and the intervening beam. 
       FIG. 1B  is a similar view to FIG.  1 A. The hangers have been removed to better show the tunnel through the first member. The central portion of the connecting member is shown in dotted lines. 
       FIG. 2  is an orthogonal view of the connecting member of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of the connecting member of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the connecting member of the present invention. The openings in the first and second walls of the connecting member are shown in phantom lines. 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of the connecting member of the present invention. Phantom lines show the larger openings in the first and second walls of the connecting member. 
       FIG. 6  is a plan view of the connection of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1A , the present invention relates to a connection formed in a building between a first structural member  1  and a pair of second structural members  2  and  3 . 
   As is shown in  FIG. 6 , the first structural member  1  has a pair of opposing side faces  4  and  5 , and a tunnel  6  is formed through the first structural member  1 . Generally, the first structural member  1  will be formed as an elongated beam with a rectangular cross-section and the opposing side faces  4  and  5  will be the vertically disposed side faces of the beam. 
   Each of the pair of second structural members  2  and  3  has an end  7  or  8  substantially in abutment with one of the opposing side faces  4  and  5  of the first structural member  1 . Preferably, each of the second structural members  2  and  3  is connected to the first structural member  1  by a hanger  9 . 
   Each of the pair of second structural members  2  and  3  also has a first mounting surface  10  or  11 , and these first mounting surfaces  10  and  11  are in general alignment. Generally, the second structural members  2  and  3  will be formed as elongated beams with rectangular cross-sections and these first mounting surfaces  10  and  11  will be one of the vertically disposed side faces of each of the beams. 
   Received within the tunnel  6  in the first structural member  1  is a first one-piece connecting member  12 . This one-piece connecting member  12  extends through the tunnel  6  and passes out of the openings  13  and  14  in the first structural member  1  at the ends of the tunnel  6 . These openings  13  and  14  are in the opposing side faces  4  and  5  of the first structural member  1 . The one-piece connecting member  12  is formed with end portions  15  and  16 , and it is these portions  15  and  16  that extend out of the tunnel  6 . The end portions  15  and  16  of the connecting member  12  lie against the mounting surfaces  10  and  11  of the second structural members  2  and  3  and are attached to the second structural members  2  and  3  by fasteners  17 . 
   Preferably, the one-piece connecting member  12  is formed as an elongated tube, with a substantially polygonal cross-section. Preferably, the polygonal tube is formed from four walls. One of these walls is designated the first wall  18 , and each end portion has a first wall  18 . The first walls  18  of the end portions  15  and  16  are in general alignment. Preferably, the first walls  18  of the end portions  15  and  16  are substantially planar and can register closely with the substantially planar mounting surfaces  10  and  11  of the second structural members  2  and  3 . 
   Also in the preferred embodiment, each of the end portions  15  and  16  of the first connecting member  12  has a second wall  19  which is generally disposed in spaced opposed relation to the first wall  18 . The first and second walls  18  and  19  are formed with a plurality of aligned openings  20  for receiving the fasteners  17  to attach the connecting member  12  to the second structural members  2  and  3 . 
   In the preferred embodiment, the first connecting member  12  is formed as a substantially rigid member, having a substantially straight central portion  21  as well as the end portions  15  and  16  which are also substantially straight. The end portions  15  and  16  are substantially in alignment and the central portion  21  is offset from the end portions  15  and  16  by pairs of bends  22  and  23  that between the central portion  21  and each of the end portions  15  and  16 . 
   As is shown in  FIG. 1A , the connection of the present invention is formed in the following manner. The connection is shown in a building having a a large support beam  1 , a pair of opposed purlins  2  and  3 , and roof sheathing  24 . The purlins  2  and  3  abut opposed sides  4  and  5  of the beam  1 . Each purlin  2  or  3  has at least one mounting surface  10  or  11 . Generally, this mounting surface  10  or  11  will be a planar side of the structural member  2  or  3  that is disposed vertically. The mounting surfaces  10  and  11  of the purlins  2  and  3  are in general alignment. Each purlin  2  or  3  has an end  7  or  8 . These ends  7  and  8  abut the opposed side faces  4  and  5  of the intervening beam  1  that lies between the purlins  2  and  3 . Generally, the purlins  2  and  3  will be suspended from the beam by means of hangers  9 . 
   A tunnel  6  is drilled through the beam  1 . The tunnel  6  enters and exists from the beam  1  at the opposed side faces  4  and  5  of the beam  1 . The openings  13  and  14  for the tunnel  6  preferably lie as close to the mounting surfaces  10  and  11  of the purlins as is possible. The tunnel  6  will generally be of circular cross-section as it is easy to make such a tunnel  6  in a wooden structural member  1  by means of a drill. 
   A connecting member  12  is inserted through the tunnel  6  in the beam  1 . The preferred connecting member  12  is formed from tube steel with a square cross-section. The connecting member  12  is formed with two pairs of offsetting bends  22  and  23  that displace the central portion  21  of the connecting member  12  out of alignment with the end portions  15  and  16  of the connecting member which are in alignment. The offset central portion  21  of the connecting member  12  is long enough to completely pass through the tunnel  6  in the beam  1 . Openings  20  are formed in the tube steel to receive the fasteners  17 . 
   The connecting member  12  is then positioned so that each of the aligned end portions  15  and  16  of the connecting member  12  contacts one of the first mounting surfaces  10  or  11  of each purlin  2  or  3 . In the preferred embodiment, the end portions  15  and  16  of the tubular connecting member  12  are of square cross section and are made up of four walls. In two opposing walls  18  and  19  of each end portion, a plurality of aligned mounting openings  20  are formed. These mounting openings  20  are designed to receive fasteners  17  that will pass through the end portions  15  and  16  of the connecting member  12  and attach the connecting member  12  to the purlins  2  and  3 . The size of the aligned mounting openings  20  will depend on the size of fasteners  17  used. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the preferred embodiment, each end portion  15  or  16  is formed with five mounting openings  20 , four large and one small. The four large mounting openings  20  receive bolts  17 , and the smaller mounting opening  20  can receive a smaller fastener  17  for temporarily holding the connecting member  12 , during the installation process. This smaller fastener can be a large nail or a threaded fastener that does not require a pre-drilled bore. 
   When bolts  17  are used, apertures will need to be formed in the structural members to receive the bolts  17 . 
   As is shown in  FIG. 6 , preferably, two connecting members  12  and  12 ′ are used to make each connection between the structural members  2  and  3 . The connecting members  12  and  12 ′ share the same bolts  17  that attach the connecting members  12  and  12 ′ to the structural members  2  and  3 . 
   In such a connection, the first structural member  1  also has a second tunnel  6 ′ that has openings  13 ′ and  14 ′ in said opposing side faces  4  and  5 , and the second structural members  2  and  3  each has a second mounting surface  10 ′ or  11 ′. The second mounting surfaces  10 ′ and  11 ′ are in general alignment. A second one-piece connecting member  12 ′ is received by said tunnel  6 ′ and passes through the first structural member  1 . The second connecting member  12 ′ also has end portions  15 ′ and  16 ′ that lie against the second mounting surfaces  10 ′ and  11 ′ and are attached to the second structural members  2  and  3  by means of fasteners  17 . 
   Preferably, as is also shown in  FIG. 6 , the main fasteners  17  for connecting the first and second connecting members  12  and  12 ′ to the second structural members  2  and  3  are bolts  17  that pass all the way through the second structural members  2  and  3  and through each of the connecting members  12  and  12 ′. The bolts  17  preferably have hexagonal heads  24  and a nut  25  is secured to their threaded ends of the bolts  17  to complete the attachment. 
   The preferred connecting member is formed from a strong and durable material such as structural tube steel.