The construction of frame houses is gaining popularity: they are relatively cheap and comfortable. In classical projects of houses and structures made of stone, brick and other materials, rafter systems are made of wooden elements, so the question of a reliable connection of beams, beams or other elements of wood is constantly relevant. Recently, a nail plate is widely used - a novelty among fasteners, which has successfully replaced nails, pins and screws.
Construction and material
From the name it is clear that the nail plate in its design is a strip of metal with an analogue of nails. Its thickness is from 1 to 2 mm, sizes vary from 40 to 200 mm in width, and any length can be. Different manufacturers have their own size standards. Most often, nail plates are produced with a pitch of 25 mm.
The starting material for the manufacture of high-strength sheet alloy or galvanized steel. In production, it is cut into plates of the required size, and then thin protrusions up to 8 mm long are extruded in a special press. They play the role of nails, firmly entering the wooden structure.
Application area
Any wooden structures that are interconnected should have a common stiffness to maintain the bearing capacity and prevent deformation of the entire structure. Fasteners that do the job best are nail plates. They are used in residential, public, industrial construction in the construction of timber frame structures and the installation of rafter systems.
Ways to use
The production of wall panels, wooden trusses or arches is carried out in production shops. Structural elements are fixed in conductors or other devices and are connected with a nail plate using a press. This connection method is of the highest quality, but it is not always possible to apply it.
At the construction site, the use of nail plates using a press is not possible. They are simply hammered with a hammer and at the same time they monitor the uniformity of the protrusions in the tree.
Main advantages
The popularity of nail plates is due to their advantages over other types of fasteners:
- the ability to connect elements in one plane without significant protrusions on the surface;
- low dead weight, which reduces the total weight of the structure;
- the use of nail plates allows you to mount complex systems in stages without the use of heavy construction equipment;
- reduction in the total cost of the facility being built (prices are quite high, but the hardware in question is relatively inexpensive);
- the use of the plate increases the rigidity and strength of the connection nodes in composite structures;
- installation of the nail plate is quite simple and does not require specialized knowledge.
Existing flaws
This type of fastener is not without drawbacks, of which the most significant are as follows:
- low strength and rigidity under bending loads at the junction;
- manual installation of nail plates does not always provide maximum rigidity and strength of the connection;
- To obtain a high-quality design with accurate design dimensions, a platform with perfect evenness is needed.
Tooth Types
Manufacturers often try to lower the price of the building materials they make. One way to do this is to simplify the design and production technology. In this regard, most of the used nail plates are the simplest and cheapest type with unidirectional teeth. But there are other options that are used in critical designs: with multidirectional teeth in adjacent rows and with teeth located at an angle of 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the plate. These options are more difficult to produce, so the price of building materials for fasteners of these types is slightly higher.
Classification and manufacturers
In LNG countries, the classification of MPZ (metal toothed plates - the name of nail plates according to GOST) by thickness is adopted: MPZ-1.0, MPZ-1.2 and MPZ-2.0 are made with a thickness of 1.0, 1.2 and 2.0 mm, respectively.
In Western Europe, a popular standard is the gang-nail bidirectional keyway from manufacturing companies from Sweden, Germany, Poland and Finland. In Hungary and neighboring countries, Arpad nailing plates are distinguished by their high strength. The price of one plate, depending on the type, size and manufacturer, ranges from 10 to 120 rubles.