Hurricane Straps

Hurricane Straps – Timber Connectors

BRC Hurricane straps offer the best way to add strength to your roof as protection against severe weather. For a minimal cost, you can tie beams, purlins, wall and floor plates, rafters and studs into one solid, cohesive structure…and rest easy when the winds come.

Rafter Connector 90° & 135°

These may be used to connect the ends of rafters to sides of ridge boards. When bent at angles other than right angles they may be used to connect the ends of orthogonal rafters to hip rafters in hipped-roof construction.

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 3kN (670lbf) using 3.75mm nails and 2.4kN (540lbf) using 3.15mm nails.

Rafter/Purlin Clip

As the name implies, these are used to connect purlins/battens to the main supporting rafters in roof construction. They may be used either singly or doubly at each rafter/purlin crossover. These may also be used to connect the ends of rafters to timber wall plates. Between one and four clips may be used per junction, depending on the uplift force.

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 3kN (670lbf) using 3.75mm nails and 2.8kN (630lbf) using 3.15mm nails

Notes: It is important to use 4 nails per leg and to place nails in the holes closest to the inside corner of the clip. The stainless steel clips have greater reserve capacity (about 10%) of the design load.

Multi-Purpose Strap

As the name suggests, these items have many uses. They may be used to hold down lightweight buildings onto their foundations; to connect timber stud walls to sill plates; to connect upper storeys to lower storeys in timber construction; and to supplement dedicated roof-member connections. Multipurpose Straps are available in two sizes 18” x 1” and 24” x 1-1/2”

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 2.6kN (584lbf) using 3.75mm nails for the 18″ x 1″ Strap

Mending Plate

These are used at supported splice junctions. They are not recommended for use at unsupported joints where it is necessary to transfer direct loads and significant bending moments. Their appropriate use is as an economical connector where the loads or moments to be transferred are much less than the potential capacities of the connected members.

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 0.88kNm (7800lbf-in) using 3.75mm nails.

Note: This Mending Plate should be used only for nominal connections because the connection has much less capacity than the main members.

Truss Anchor

These are used where roof trusses or main rafters are supported by concrete belt beams (also known as ring beams). The Truss Anchors are cast in the ring beams and bent over the rafter and fastened on both sides.

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 8.0kN (1750lbf) using 3.75mm nails and 7.8kN (1750lbf) using 3.15mm nails

Moment Connector

These are used in pairs at butt junctions in beams where it is necessary to transfer significant bending moments.

Permissible Design Load (unfactored): 2.5kNm (22,000lbf-in) using 3.75mm nails for a 140mm (5-1/2”) deep beam

Note: With this connector, the deeper the beam the greater the permissible design moment

Twist Tie

Twist Ties provide a tension connection between two wood members. They resist uplift at the heel of a truss economically.

Purlin Brace

For applications where the rafters are covered with T111 plywood or close board decking Purlin Braces are used to fasten the purlins/battens through the decking to the rafter. One brace is used at every rafter/purlin crossover.
Note: Designed for use with 2” x 3” purlins only.

BRC Hurricane Straps are supplied in two materials as follows: Galvalume coated steel sheet to ASTM A792M, Grade 345A, AZ200, in thickness 1.0mm. Minimum Tensile Strength of 450MPa, Minimum Yield of 345MPa with Elongation of 12%

Stainless Steel Sheet to ASTM A240-S31603, in thickness of 1.0mm. Minimum Tensile Strength of 485MPa, Minimum Yield of 170MPa with Elongation of 40%

It should be remembered that any structure or building, however well designed and built, needs maintenance if it is to perform adequately throughout its intended life. In particular, it is recommended that annual inspections of structures and connections be carried out in advance of the hurricane season so that incipient deterioration may be nipped in the bud.

Click to see our Technical Manual section for further details.