Design Equation for Multiple‐Fastener Wood Connections

Abstract

A compact design equation is presented for the design of multiple fastener connections of wood members. It was obtained by algebraic simplification of the Lantos analysis of the unequal load sharing among fasteners in series. This equation can replace the double‐entry tables now used in wood design codes. Those tables are constructed using the Lantos analysis and for simplicity have to ignore certain effects and cover only a limited range of design parameters. In addition to the specification equation, two design aids are derived: (1) A simple expression for the maximum possible capacity of a serial row of fasteners; and (2) an expression for the number of fasteners required to achieve a given row capacity.