Mass Timber Fasteners

This chapter covers many fastener types available to the timber designer today. It explains the structural behavior and design procedures of the fasteners. Screws are extremely versatile fasteners for mass timber and other wood structures. Nails are the simplest wood fasteners and are widely used in light-frame construction. Many heavy-load connections employ either bolts or drift pins as fasteners between the steel and the wood. In addition to mass-produced screws, nails, and bolts/dowels, there are many other types of connection hardware that are pre-engineered and can be used in standard and/or custom-designed situations. Of all the connection types, glued connections are by far the stiffest. To protect a fastener against corrosion and improve its durability, manufacturers are adding various treatments during the fastener's production process. These can include: coating, galvanizing and several combined coating types.