Truss hanger

A truss hanger for trusses in which the top chord consists of a pair of parallel wood members and the end web is a metal member such as a tube formed with a flattened end. The hanger is fabricated from flat sheet metal using standard punch-press operations. The ends of the metal webs are connected to the hangers so that the web load is transferred directly to the hanger via metal-to-metal contact.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Composite trusses having wood chords and metal webs have been in commerical 
use for about 16 years. Builders have avoided hanging composite trusses by 
the top chord members flush with or below the supporting plate member 
because the custom made hangers were too heavy, too expensive and 
difficult to install. 
Truss fabricators were unable to find a simple solution and resorted to 
heavily reinforced custom-modified simple joist hangers. Use of redesigned 
standard joist hangers was, however, not a good solution since the forces 
acting on a hanger from a simple beam are entirely different from the 
forces acting on the ends of a truss. Hangers for simple beams merely 
require a device which transmits supporting load from a bearing member 
through a strap of "U" element which encapsulates and supports the end of 
the beam or joist. Usually, the main support is a simple seat area 
underneath the edge-end of the joist or beam. 
The truss, on the other hand presents a different combination of problems 
and required load bearing functions. The problem is to provide support not 
only for the end of the upper chord wood members, but also provide support 
for the end of the terminal metal web which is located at some distance 
from the end of the upper chord, thus imposing a rotational load in 
respect to bearing. 
Since building walls are seldom constructed to the tolerances required in 
the fabrication of trusses, a hanger, to be successful commercially must 
have an adjustability to accommodate the trusses within the tolerance 
allowable in constructing the building walls. 
The current state of the art is to provide a more or less conventional 
hanger of a size and mass primarily governed by its ability to resist the 
eccentric arm of loading rather than being governed by the simple load 
bearing requirements. Into and upon the seat of such a hanger, is normally 
placed a double-angled clip device designed to pick up the transverse bolt 
which connects through the chord and provides the end support and 
connection for the end of the terminal web. Sometimes the lower legs of 
such a clip are slotted to provide adjustment in respect to the hanger 
seat. Basically, this clip is the same device as used when the top chord 
of a truss is installed in simple over-the-top bearing relationship to a 
support. As previously stated, this combination of required hardware is so 
excessive in relation to a hangered function for trusses as to practically 
discourage the use of hangered trusses whenever possible. 
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
The gist of the present invention is the creation of an entirely new hanger 
for composite trusses. The truss hanger of the present invention may be 
fabricated by standard punch-press operations from a strip of sheet metal. 
The hangers are fabricated without welding, or fasteners and are therefore 
less expensive to fabricated than existing truss hangers. Because the 
design follows totally new concepts instead of the "state-of-the-art" 
present thinking of simple beam hangers, the truss hanger of the present 
invention uses merely 1/3 the metal for a given required load function as 
present truss hangers. Results thus far have indicated that the 
combination of less metal and standard punch-press operations reduces 
total cost by a factor of 4. 
Because of the adjustability feature built into the design, the truss 
hanger of the present invention can be assembled on the truss at the 
fabricating plant rather than in the field. The hanger can be assembled to 
the exact dimensions of the wall spacing and if field adjustment has to be 
made, workmen in the field merely have to make the final adjustment by 
simply loosening a bolt and sliding the bolt along the slot in the hanger. 
A further feature of the truss hanger of the present invention is that it 
provides uplift resistance to the truss in respect to the bearing point. 
A still further feature is that no secondary or lag screws or bolting is 
required in the present invention hanger; being entirely a nail-attached 
device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
The truss hanger 1 of the present invention consists briefly of a generally 
planar side member 2 mounted substantially vertically and having a 
generally straight and horizontal top edge 3, and a generally vertical 
back edge 4; a top flange 5 integrally connected to a portion of the top 
edge and positioned at a generally right angle to the side member, and 
extending rearwardly beyond the side member; a back flange 6 integrally 
connected to the back edge of the side member and positioned at a 
generally right angle to the side member and the top flange; a tab member 
extending from the side member forming a horizontal base for receiving a 
member 8 forming the top chord of a truss; and an opening 9 formed in the 
side member between the tab member and the top flange. 
In order to effect an overall weight savings in the design and to enable 
the hanger to be sheared from a flat strip of metal with the least amount 
of waste, the planar side member is formed in a generally triangular 
shape. 
The required structural rigidity is imparted to the hanger by providing a 
front flange 11 integrally connected to the front edge 12 of the side 
member positioned at a generally right angle to the triangular side 
member. 
Adjustability is attained by forming the opening in the side member as an 
elongated slot extending in the direction parallel to the tab member. 
The top flange is formed with a plurality of nail or other fastener 
openings 14, 15 and 16. The back flange is formed with nail or other 
fastener openings 18, 19, 20 and 21. 
The truss hanger of the present invention is a part of the end truss joint 
assembly wherein the upper chord consists of two juxtaposed parallel 
lumber members 8 and 8' and the end web member 23 consists of a metal 
member having a flattened end area 24 interposed between the lumber 
members. The wood members and web are formed with registering openings 26, 
26' and 27 respectively. A metal pin 28 dimensioned for receipt within the 
openings is inserted therethrough. A pair of truss hangers 1 and 1' are 
placed on either side of the web member at each end bearing joint 
assembly. The generally planar side members 2 and 2' are mounted 
substantially vertically on either side of the web member. Each truss 
hanger has a generally straight and horizontal top edge 3 and 3' and a 
generally vertical back edge 4 and 4'. Each hanger has a top flange 5 and 
5' integrally connected to the top edge and is positioned at generally 
right angles to the side member with portions extending rearwardly beyond 
the side members. Back flanges 6 and 6' are integrally connected to the 
back edges of the side members and are positioned at a generally right 
angle to the side members and the top flanges. Tab members 7 and 7' extend 
from the side members forming horizontal bases for receiving each of the 
lumber members. Openings 9 and 9' formed in the side members between the 
tab members and the top flanges receive the metal pin 28 therethrough. The 
mirror image hanger 1' is formed with nail openings 15' and 16' in the top 
flange and nail openings 18', 19', 20' and 21' in the back flange. 
Referring to FIG. 3, the end bearing joint of a truss constructed in 
accordance with the principles taught in my patent application Ser. No. 
507,943 filed Sept. 20, 1974 entitled Truss Structure With Joint Assembly 
is shown. The truss joint assembly consists of an upper chord having two 
juxtaposed parallel lumber members 8 and 8' and an end web member 23 with 
a flattened end area 24 and an opening 27 therethrough interposed between 
the two lumber members. A pair of sheet metal fastener plates 31 and 32, 
each including openings 33 and 34 therethrough and formed with a plurality 
of sharp pointed fastener prongs 35 and 36 connect the fastener areas 38, 
39, 40 and 41 of the plates to the inside faces 43 and 44 of the lumber 
members. Each of the openings in the plates is surrounded by integrally 
formed drawn sidewalls extending into the lumber members forming coaxial 
annular flanges 46 and 47 providing bearing area. Enlarged countersunk 
openings 48 and 49 in the inside faces of the lumber members are 
dimensioned to receive the annular flanges of the plates in a force fit. A 
metal load transfer member having a diameter and a length selected to 
transfer loads between the metal fastener plates and the metal web members 
by bearing against a substantial portion of the metal plate flanges in a 
force fit and against the edges of the openings in the metal web members 
is provided. This load transfer member may be a short metal pin which does 
not extend past the drawn flange openings or it may be a pin as shown in 
FIG. 3 with a head 51 on one end and threads 52 on the other end for 
receiving a threaded nut 53. Washers 54 and 55 hold the joint assembly 
together. As shown in FIG. 3, load sleeves 56 and 57 have an inside hole 
58 and 59 with a diameter equal to the diameter of the diameter of the pin 
28. The outside diameter of the load sleeves are equal to the opening size 
of openings 9 and 9' and openings 33 and 34 in the fastener plates. Thus 
load from the web 23 is transferred from the walls of opening 27 to the 
center portion of load transfer member 28 thence through load sleeves 56 
and 57, and then to the sidewalls of the openings 9 and 9' in the truss 
hangers. Thus web loads are transferred to the hangers through metal to 
metal contact only. Loads from the wood timber members are transferred to 
the truss hangers by transmission through the prongs of the prong plate, 
through the drawn annular flanges, through the load sleeves 56 and 57 and 
then to the walls of openings 9 and 9' of the truss hangers. Vertical 
loads from the wood members are transferred to the tab members and the 
upper flanges. As set forth above, the pin 28 is used only to hold the 
assembly together and the ends of the pin are not necessary to carry 
loads. Some load may be carried from the wood through the pin but this is 
not essential to the operation of the joint. Thus practically all of the 
load from the trusses is transferred to the hanger through openings 9 and 
9' in metal to metal contact. Very little load is transmitted through the 
bore holes 26 and 26' in the wood and only a small portion of the load is 
carried by tabs 7 and 7'. 
The web trusses for the type of joint assembly shown in FIG. 3 are 
identical to the truss hangers previously described for other less 
sophisticated joints which are formed without fastener plates. Truss 
hangers with triangular or other shapes may be used. Where the truss 
hanger is triangular in shape the addition of a front flange 11 and 11' 
gives the necessary structural rigidity. 
The method of cutting and fabricating the truss hanger is shown in FIG. 7. 
First a shape as shown in FIG. 7 having edges 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 
68, 69, 70 and 71 is cut out of sheet steel. The opening 9 is then cut out 
and cuts 73, 74 and 75 are made to form the tab 7. A cut is also made 
along line 77 to separate the top and back flanges. Nail openings 14-16 
are made in the top flange and nail openings 18-21 are made in the back 
flange. Fabrication is completed by bending top flange along line 3, back 
flange alone line 4 and front flange 11 along line 12. Tab 7 is bent along 
line 76. 
A modified form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. The unique 
feature of the modified form of the truss hanger is that the same set of 
dies for making a hanger capable of accommodating trusses with 2 .times. 4 
inches top chords can be used to make hangers for trusses with top chords 
using 2 .times. 6 feet. Further, the exact same width strip of metal can 
be used for both types of hangers. 
The hanger 101 consists of a side member 102, having a top edge 103 and a 
back edge 104. A top flange 105 is connected to the top edge and a back 
flange 106 is attached to the back edge. Tab member 107 is formed in the 
side member as well as opening 109. In the preferred form of the 
invention, a front flange 111 is formed at front edge 112. Nail openings 
114, 115, 116 and 117 are punched in the top flange. Nail openings 118, 
119, 120, 121 and 122 are punched in the back flange. Edge 161 corresponds 
to edge 61 of FIG. 7; differing only in length. Edge 106 likewise 
corresponds to edge 165. The hanger is formed on its other parameters by 
edges 162, 163, 164, 166 167, 168, 169, 170 and 171. The hanger is 
fabricated by forming cuts along lines 173, 174 and 175 and bending about 
line 176 to form tab 107. A cut is made along line 177 and top flange 105 
is formed by bending along line 103 and the back flange is formed by 
bending alone line 106. When a triangular shaped member is formed, a front 
flange 111 is formed by bending along line 112. 
Installation of a typical truss using hangers of the present invention is 
illustrated in FIG. 1. The wood members of the top chord rest on tabs 7 
and 7'. Note that the rear edges 79 and 79' are spaced from the rear 
flange. The ends 81 and 81' of the wood chord timber members need not be 
butted against the back flange so that there can be some adjustment of the 
load sleeves 56 and 57 within slots 9 and 9'. 
The back flanges 6 and 6' are nailed to surface 82 of wood structual member 
83 and top flanges 5 and 5' are nailed to top surface 84 of the structural 
member 83. 
One of the advantages as previously discussed is the fact that the truss 
hangers may be attached to the top chord of the truss at the factory and 
shipped to the building site. The trusses and their hangers are lifted to 
the top of the building walls and placed thereon. The field workers only 
need to align the trusses and then nail them to the structural member 84. 
As stated above, if the wall is out of alignment, the workmen can loosen 
nut 53 and slide the truss hangers either away or toward the structural 
member 84 in slots 9 and 9'. After the correct adjustment has been made, 
the nut 53 is tightened and installation is complete. 
For purpose of illustration, FIG. 1 shows a typical bottom chord of a truss 
with wood members 85 and 86 and another web member 87. The bottom chord 
need not be wood but may be metal and may consist of either a single wood 
chord or metal member. 
A feature of the present hanger is the fact that the wood top chord members 
are securely encapsulated by the truss hangers. The bottom edges 88 and 
88' of the timber members rest on tabs 7 and 7' and the top faces 89 and 
89' are in contact with a substantial portion of the underside of top 
flanges 5 and 5'. The inside faces 43 and 44 are in contact with the 
outside surfaces of side faces 2 and 2'. Where required, the ends 81 and 
81' of the top chords may be in contact with the back flanges 6 and 6'. 
Another feature of the present invention is the fact that the use of the 
present truss hangers require absolutely no notching or other modification 
of the top chord wood members nor does it require any modification of the 
end web member 23. Since the main load is carried by the walls of the 
slots 9 and 9', the tabs may be minimal in dimension so that they do not 
interfere with the web member. The triangular shape of the side members 
carries the web away from the face of structural member 82 while providing 
the necessary structural support. The long back flange provides the 
necessary length for providing nail holes. 
Another feature of the present invention is the fact that the slots 9 and 
9' and 109 and 109' are in the identical position for both 2 inches 
.times. 4 inches and 2 inches .times. 6 inches top chord members. Thus 
tooling costs are minimized. 
In order to carry very heavily loaded trusses, a standard pillow block 
means may be substituted for the load sleeves 56 and 57. The portion of 
the pillow block which is round is inserted into the annular flanges 33 
and 34 while the square portion is carried by the walls of slots 9 and 9'. 
Thus the area of contact is a flat surface rather than a tangent edge of 
the round bearing element. 
The configuration of the structure is so constructed that nearly every part 
has a double function. For example, the back flange not only provides a 
nailing surface but also rigidizes the entire back portion of the side 
member 2. In like manner, the top flange provides a nailing surface and 
also rigidizes the top edge of the side member. Even the tab 7 which 
provides a seat for the wood member also rigidizes the central portion of 
the side member. Even the front flange which appears to have no other 
purpose than to rigidize the front portion of the side member, may be 
located so that the edges 70 and 70' bear against the underside surfaces 
88 and 88' of wood members 8 and 8'. 
Web openings 27 may vary in size and 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, and 1 inch 
diameter openings are common. In order to accommodate the different size 
web openings, load sleeves as shown in FIGS. 11 through 14 are provided. 
The load sleeve 56 of FIG. 11 has an inside diameter of 1/2 inch and 
outside diameter of 1 inch with a width of 3/8 inch. 
The load sleeve 91 of FIG. 12 has an inside diameter of 3/4 inch, an 
outside diameter of 1 inch and a width of 3/8 inch. 
The load sleeve 92 of FIG. 13 has an inside diameter of 1/2 inch, an 
outside diameter of 3/4 inch and a width of about 1 inch. 
The load sleeve 93 of FIG. 14 has an inside diameter of 1/2 inch, an 
outside diameter of 1 inch and a width of 1 inch. 
Where the web opening is 1/2 inch as it would be in the illustration of 
FIG. 3, two load sleeves of the type shown in FIG. 11 would be used. 
Where the web opening is 3/4 inch one load sleeve 92 as illustrated in FIG. 
13 is inserted into the web opening and two load sleeves 91 as illustrated 
in FIG. 12 are carried by the load sleeve 92 of FIG. 13. Load sleeves 91 
bear against the sides of openings 9 and 9' and annular flanges 33 and 34. 
For 1 inch web holes a single load sleeve 93 as illustrated in FIG. 14 is 
all that is required. The outside 1 inch diameter of the load sleeve bears 
against the sides of the web opening, the slot openings 9 and 9' and the 
annular flanges 33 and 34. 
The hanger is to be fabricated from either 12 or 14 gauge steel. Preferably 
holes are dimensioned for Simpson N54A fasteners. These fasteners have a 
diameter of 0.250 inches and a length of 21/2 inches. 
For trusses in which the top chords are 2 .times. 4 feet, as an example, 
the pin 28 may be 1/2 inch diameter by 41/4 inches long. Washers may be 
12 gauge 17/8 inches. The prong plates may be 3 inches .times. 6 inches, 
18 gauge, 96 prongs with a 1 inch diameter .times. 3/16 inch drawn hole. 
For truss hangers in which the top chords are two 2 .times. 6 feet, 7 gauge 
metal is normally used. Under certain load restrictions, 12 gauge may be 
used. 
By way of example, some approximate dimensions of the truss hanger shown in 
FIG. 7 are as follows: edge 61--2 7/16 inches, edge 62 -- 8 11/16 inches, 
edge 64-- 35/8 inches, edge 65--97/8 inches and edge 69--77/8 inches. 
The hanger is cut from an 8 inches strip blank. 
The truss hanger shown in FIG. 8 is also cut from an 8 inches strip blank 
and some representative approximate dimensions are as follows: edge 
161--45/8 inches, edge 162--93/8 inches, edge 164--61/4 inches, edge 
165-- 97/8 inches, and edge 169--77/8 inches.