11.3.

Yield Model for Laterally Loaded Fasteners

In the past, the capacity of laterally loaded nails, bolts, and lag bolts was obtained from fastener capacity tables given in
earlier editions of the NDS. These tables were also included in building codes, typically in abbreviated form. The load values in
these tables were obtained from empirical formulas which are summarized in the 1997 edition of the NDS Commentary (Ref.
11.5) and various editions of the Wood Handbook (Ref. 11.8).

The empirical formulas were based on the proportional limit strength of connections that were tested at the Forest Products
Laboratory (FPL) during the 1930s. The empirical formulas from the Wood Handbook contain parameters that are important to
connection performance such as fastener diameter and length. However, the empirical expressions simply reproduce load
values that were obtained from laboratory testing programs. These formulas cannot be derived using principles of engineering
mechanics and may not be appropriate for all connections.

In the 1940s an approach to connection analysis was developed in Europe that was based on yielding of the various elements
in the connection. In the 1980s a number of papers were published by FPL and other researchers that confirmed the yield limit
theory. These studies concluded that an engineering mechanics approach based on yield limit theory is appropriate for
analyzing dowel-type fasteners in wood connections (Refs. 11.7 and 11.10).

A dowel is traditionally thought to be a cylindrical rod of wood or metal that is placed in a hole which has been drilled in a
wood member or members. However, in the context of the NDS, the term dowel-type fastener simply refers to fasteners with a
generally cylindrical shape such as bolts, screws, and nails.

The idea is that these fasteners act similar to a dowel as they bear against the grain in a wood member under a lateral load.
The term lateral load here refers to a load that is perpendicular to the length of the fastener, that is, ashear connection. The
load may or may not include the effects of lateral wind or earthquake forces. The yield limit model applies only to shear
connections and not to fasteners loaded in withdrawal. Withdrawal connections are still covered by empirical formulas
provided in the NDS.

In utilizing the yield limit theory, the various yield modes that can occur in a given type of connection are analyzed. A load
capacity is computed for each of the various modes. The yield limit is then taken as the smallest of these load capacities. This
critical load defines the yield mechanism for the connection. It should be noted that the yield limit equations for Z in the NDS
include appropriate factors of safety for ASD.

An engineering mechanics approach to connection design, such as the yield limit model, has both advantages and
disadvantages. The principal advantage is that the designer can mathematically analyze a connection of practically any
configuration. Thus, the designer is not limited to joint configurations and details that are given in the NDS tables. In the past,
if a connection did not match the details in the table, the designer was forced to either revise the connection or extrapolate
values from a table that may not have been appropriate.

In addition, the yield limit model is able to take into account the strengths of different fastener materials. In the older empirical
method, a certain fastener strength was simply presumed. However, the yield theory directly incorporates the yield strength of
a fastener into the analysis. A final advantage is that the yield limit model can be used to evaluate the strength of a
connection involving wood members of different species, or a connection between a wood member and another material.

The NDS contains a complete set of yield limit equations for the analysis of dowel-type fasteners. However, the NDS also
recognizes that some designers may not need or want the sophistication provided by the formal yield limit equations. Thus,
for the designer who does only an occasional wood connection design, or for the designer who simply does not want to
explicitly evaluate the yield limit equations, the NDS also provides fastener capacity tables for various commonly constructed
connection configurations.

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The NDS fastener capacity tables are based on the yield limit equations. The tables apply to connections with all members
from the same species of wood, and they cover only a limited number of species (specific gravities). The tables for bolts and
lag bolts also consider only parallel- and perpendicular-to-grain loadings. Therefore, the tables are simple, conservative, and
relatively easy to use. They apply to a certain set of common, but limited, conditions.

The fastener capacity tables are limited in scope, and the real advantage of the yield limit model comes in the automated
evaluation of the yield equations. In this way all of the details affecting a particular connection may be taken into account. In
addition, there are some fastener problems that require use of the yield limit equations. For example, the NDS bolt tables
cover only parallel- and perpendicular-to-grain loading, and the equations will be necessary to evaluate loading at some other
angle to grain.

The remaining portions of this chapter summarize several of the important properties that affect the behavior of dowel-type
connections. The purpose is to develop a general understanding of the rationale behind the theory, without attempting to
derive the lengthy equations. The possible yield modes are also reviewed for typical two-member and three-member
connections.

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