BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to metal connectors for tying together wood members in new or existing wood structures and, in particular, holding down roof structures against high winds including hurricanes.

In warm climates that are prone to hurricanes, existing single-family houses are typically constructed of light-framed timber. Newer houses have timber stud walls (double wall construction) and timber roof framing with plywood or wood slats. Most of the roof rafters or trusses are not attached to the exterior walls with metal hurricane fasteners. Older houses are usually of single-wall construction with timber-roof framing and non-structural corrugated metal roofing.

Studies of the damage that the 1992 Hurricane Iniki caused in Kauai, Hawaii, showed that there was extensive loss of roof covering (wood and asphalt shingles, sheet metal, and clay tiles), and sheathing (plywood, tongue-and-groove decking, and metal decking) due to high wind and inadequate attachment. The failed attachments were at the nailing of the roof covering to the sheathing; the stapling of the plywood sheathing; the nailing of metal decking to the battens and the battens to the purlins (trusses); and the nailing and splicing of tongue-and-groove decking. This caused dangerous wind-blown debris and resulted in extensive water damage to the buildings' contents. Many of the failed connections were “toe-nailed” together.

Engineers have recommended that all houses being built in Hawaii be in compliance with the current building code and a continuous load transfer path from roof to foundation should be integrated into all stages of building. Use of prior art hurricane clips does not, in and of itself, ensure successful building performance.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Like the hurricane tie system in U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,840, the present invention uses the outside of the outer wall sheathing had to form a continuous load transfer path from the roof to foundation. When building houses in a tropical climate, house foundations are very shallow or lacking completely. The invention of U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,840 uses the outside wall sheathing to tie the rafter, top plate, and outside wall together in order to resist uplift forces. It is however, critically deficient because its elongate J-shaped web portion is not reinforced against torsion. The J-shaped web portion has an elongated portion to span the frieze board that is conventionally used to transfer shear forces out of the roof diaphragm in Hawaiian “plantation” style houses. The frieze board provides no uplift resistance, requiring the hurricane tie to span it and connect to the wall below. The present invention improves upon U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,840 by providing carefully engineered reinforcement against torsion, which otherwise destroys the hurricane tie and renders the connection useless. The vulnerability to torsion was itself determined by careful testing of hurricane tie designs.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Objects of this invention are to tie together the roof and supporting structures of an existing building, and to make the structure resistant to strong winds. It is a further object of this invention that the ties be sufficiently strong, inexpensive and simple. A still further object is that the invention be simple to install. It is a still further object of this invention that the roof beams, top plate and outside walls of an existing structure be tied together against shear and tensional forces from strong winds.

A further objective is to provide for the installation of this invention on the outside of existing structures. Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objectives of the invention are achieved by a system of simple and economical tie connectors, that tie together the roof beams, top plate, and outside walls of an existing building against shear and tensional forces from strong winds. This invention can be retrofitted to the outside of existing structures. Ties can be installed by a typical homeowner.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hurricane tie connection of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plane view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a left side elevation view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the hurricane tie of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the hurricane tie connection of the present invention.

REFERENCE NUMBER IN THE DRAWINGS

1. Hurricane tie connection

2. Wall

3. Rafter

4. Fasteners

5. Hurricane tie

6. Body (of hurricane tie 5)

7. First angular juncture (of body 6)

8. Wall attachment member (of body 6)

9. Rafter attachment member (of body 6)

10. First edge (of rafter attachment member 9)

11. First reinforcing flange (of body 6)

12. Second angular juncture (of rafter attachment member 9)

13. First reinforcing embossment (of rafter attachment member 9)

14. Frieze block

15. Gusset dart (of body 6)

16. First straight portion (of first edge 10)

17. First curved portion (of first edge 10)

18. Second straight portion (of first edge 10)

19. Fastener openings (of body 6)

20. Second reinforcing embossment (of rafter attachment member 9)

21. First outer edge (of first reinforcing flange 11)

22. Ends (of first outer edge 21)

23. Second edge (of rafter attachment member 9)

24. Top edge (of wall attachment member 6)

25. Top corner edge (of wall attachment member 6)

26. Outer side edge (of wall attachment member 6)

27. Bottom corner edge (of wall attachment member 6)

28. Bottom edge (of wall attachment member 6)

29. Inner side edge (of wall attachment member 6)

30. Outer surface (of wall attachment member 6)

31. Inner surface (of wall attachment member 6)

32. Outer surface (of wall 2)

33. Side (of rafter 3)

34. Outer surface (of frieze block 14)

35. Roof sheathing

36. Top plate (of wall 2)

37. Blocking (of wall 2)

38. Post (of wall 2)

39. Sheathing (of wall 2)

40. Outer surface (of rafter attachment member 9)

41. Inner surface (of rafter attachment member 9)

42. First straight portion (of second edge 23)

43. First curved portion (of second edge 23)

44. Intervening straight portion (of second edge 23)

45. Second straight portion (of second edge 23)

46. End edge (of rafter attachment member 9)

47. First end corner edge (of rafter attachment 9)

48. Second end corner edge (of rafter attachment 9)

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a preferred embodiment of the hurricane tie connection 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing of a preferred embodiment of the hurricane tie 5 of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the hurricane tie connection 1 of the present invention preferably comprises a wall 2, a rafter 3 that projects from the wall 2, a hurricane tie 5 that connects the outer surface 32 of the wall 2 to a side 33 of the rafter 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, preferably the hurricane tie 5 further comprises a body 6. The body 6 preferably has a first angular juncture 7 that defines a wall attachment member 8 on one side of said first angular juncture 7 and a rafter attachment member 9 on the opposite side of the first angular juncture 7. The rafter attachment member 9 preferably has a first edge 10 reinforced by a first reinforcing flange 11 joined to the first edge 10 along a second angular juncture 12. The rafter attachment member 9 is preferably reinforced by a first reinforcing embossment 13. Preferably, the wall attachment member 8 is fastened to the wall with at least one of the plurality of fasteners 4 and the rafter attachment member 9 is fastened to the rafter with at least one of the plurality of fasteners 4. Preferably, each attachment member is fastened with four fasteners 4.

Preferably, the wall attachment member 6 has six straight edges, a top edge 24, a top corner edge 25, an outer side edge 26, a bottom corner edge 27, a bottom edge 28, and an inner side edge 29 that preferably coincides with the first angular juncture 7. Preferably, the wall attachment member 8 is not rectangular.

The wall attachment member preferably has an outer surface 30 that faces away from the wall 2, and an inner surface 31 that interfaces with the outer surface 32 of the wall 2.

Preferably, the hurricane tie 5 is formed from a single piece of galvanized sheet steel by automated cutting, punching, bending and embossing. Alternatively, the hurricane tie 5 can be cast or molded from another metal, plastic, or any other suitable material. The first angular juncture 7 is preferably a first bend 7 and the second angular juncture 12 is a second bend 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wall attachment member 8 preferably is generally planar, and the rafter attachment member 9 preferably is also generally planar. In the preferred embodiment, both are formed with shallow embossments.

As shown in FIG. 4, preferably the rafter attachment member 9 projects away from the wall 2 and turns toward the rafter 3. When a frieze block 14 is attached to the wall 2 above said wall attachment member 8, the rafter attachment member 9 preferably spans said frieze block 14. This is the conventional method of constructing “plantation” style houses in Hawaii. Conventionally, the frieze block 14 projects out from the wall 2 further than the wall attachment member 8.

The first angular juncture 7 is preferably reinforced by a gusset dart 15, which enhances the torsion resistance provided by the reinforcements to the rafter attachment member 9.

Preferably, the first edge 10 of the rafter attachment member 9 has a first straight portion 16 adjacent the first angular juncture 7 and a first curved portion 17 adjacent the first straight portion 16. The first edge 10 preferably has a second straight portion 18 adjacent the first curved portion 17.

The rafter attachment member 9 preferably has a second edge 23 that is generally parallel to the first edge 10. Preferably, the second edge 23 has a first straight portion 42 adjacent the first angular juncture 7. The second edge 23 has a first curved portion 43 joined to the first straight portion 42 by an intervening straight portion 44 that is indented along the second edge 23 from the first straight portion And the second edge 23 has a second straight portion 45 that is connected to the first curved portion 43 opposite the intervening straight portion 44. Preferably, the rafter attachment member 9 has a straight end edge 46, a straight first end corner edge 47 between the second edge 23 and the straight end edge 46, and a straight second end corner edge 48 between the first edge

As shown in FIG. 2, preferably the wall attachment member 8 and the rafter attachment member 9 each have a plurality of fastener openings 19. The fasteners 4 preferably are screws 4. If there are no fastening openings 19, the preferable fasteners 4 would be nails, but nails are not preferred because they provide little pullout resistance. Preferably, the wall attachment member 8 and the rafter attachment member 9 each have four fastener openings 19.

The first reinforcing embossment 13 preferably is generally linear. Preferably, the rafter attachment member 9 is reinforced by a second reinforcing embossment 20. The first and second embossments 13 and 20 preferably are both generally linear and mutually parallel.

Preferably, the first angular juncture 7 is a right-angled juncture 7, defined by 90 degrees between the outer surface 30 of the wall attachment member 6 and the outer surface 40 of the rafter attachment member 9. The inner surface 41 of the rafter attachment member 9 interfaces with a side 33 of the rafter 3. As shown in FIG. 5, in the preferred embodiment the first and second reinforcing embossments 13 and 20 create convex forms in the outer surface 40 and concave forms in the inner surface 41. Similarly, in the preferred embodiment the gusset dart 15 creates convex forms in the outer surfaces 30 and 40 of the wall attachment member 6 and the rafter attachment member 9. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the gusset dart 15 creates concave forms in the inner surfaces 31 and 41 of the wall attachment member 6 and the rafter attachment member 9.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second angular juncture 12 preferably is a right-angled juncture 12. Preferably, the first reinforcing flange 11 has a first outer edge 21 with two ends 22 where the first outer edge 21 meets the first edge 10. The rafter attachment member 9 has a second edge 23, and at least part of the second edge 23 has a profile that matches at least part of the profile of said first outer edge 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, preferably the part of the second edge 23 that has a profile that matches at least part of the profile of the first outer edge 21 is not immediately adjacent the attachment member 8, and the preferred sheet metal parts are made on a progressive die.