Proper design of bearing intersections between mass timber members is critical to the overall success of a mass timber project. The details of these intersections have a significant effect on cost and schedule. This article focuses on the multi-story column condition, where loads from the column above need to be transferred down through the beam-column intersection, and the beams are supported using a bearing pocket instead of a bearing hanger (Figure 1).
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Author Archives : D. Scott Nyseth, P.E., S.E.
D. Scott Nyseth is President of Stonewood Structural Engineers, Inc. in Portland, OR. (scott.nyseth@stonewoodstructural.com)
A new timber truss pedestrian bridge in Oregon is using high-capacity timber connections. The span is 114 feet with a truss height and width of 16 feet between centerlines of chords. Historically, timber truss bridges have light roof structures when compared to the timber truss and deck structure. The roof for this bridge weighs more than the truss and deck structure. This provided unique challenges in a high seismic region. Bottom chord seismic tension loads are approximately 300 kips and typical knife plate connections could not develop the strength required for the bottom chords. The recent introduction of proprietary connections utilizing multiple internal steel plates and screws provided a challenge for a much larger connection. …
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