Structural connector

Abstract

Disclosed is a connector for connecting first and second timber structural members together. The connector mounts to a face of the first structural member and receives at least a portion of the second structural member. The connector includes a lip portion and an at least one projection. The projection is forced into tacking engagement with the first structural member, causing the connector to be tacked in place. The tacking engagement is effected when the lip is placed into an underlapping association with a bottom surface of the first structural member the connector undergoes at least one of a) a pivoting the connector about the lip at the underlapping association of the lip with the bottom surface and b) a movement of the connector towards the first structural member and parallel with its bottom surface. The tacking engagement holds the connector in its placed orientation relative to the first structural member.

1 . A method of using a connector for connecting a first structural member and second structural member, the connector comprising
 a mounting face for mounting to a mounting surface of the first structural member,   a receiving channel for receiving at least a portion of the second structural member,   a lip portion and,   at least one projection,   wherein both the lip portion and at least one projection extend past the mounting face of the connector,   the method comprising the steps of   (a) aligning the connector at a desired position along an elongate direction of the first structural member,   (b) moving the connector towards an alignment surface of the first structural member so as to cause the lip portion to be in an at least partially underlapping association with the alignment surface,   (c) moving the connector towards a desired orientation relative to the first structural member by either pivoting the connector about the lip at the underlapping association of the lip with the alignment surface and/or moving the connector towards the first structural member and parallel with its alignment surface, the pivoting and/or movement acting to direct the mounting face towards abutment with the mounting surface of the first structural member and to tackingly engage the at least one projection with the first structural member such that the connector may be held in its desired orientation,   (d) fastening the tackingly engaged connector at the mounting face to the mounting surface of the first structural member using one or more fasteners,   (e) locating a second structural member within the receiving channel of the connector, and   (f) fastening the second structural member to either the connector or the first structural member using one or more fasteners.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the lip of the connector extends past the mounting face further than the at least one projection extends past the mounting face. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one projection of the connector is spaced apart from the lip portion. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one projection of the connector and lip are spaced apart so as to be substantially at opposed ends of the connector, the spacing of the projections and lip allowing for a levering of the projections into the first structural member about the underlapping association of the lip and the alignment surface of the first structural member. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first and second structural members are substantially rectangular members, and the alignment surface of the first structural member is adjacent to and substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface of the first structural member. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least the first structural member comprises a crushable material such as to be penetrated by the at least one projection of the connector under forcing by hand or hammer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least the first structural member is a timber member. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an end portion of the second structural member is received within the receiving portion of the connector. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an offset is provided between a base of the receiving channel and the lip, the offset being equal to a desired offset between the alignment surface of the first structural member and a corresponding surface of the second structural member which, when placed in the receiving channel, rests on the base of the receiving channel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an offset of zero is provided between a base of the receiving channel and the lip, such that when the first and second structural members are connected by the connector the at least a directly adjacent portion of the alignment surface of the first structural member and the corresponding surface of the second structural member which rests on/is adjacent to the base of the receiving channel are substantially aligned. 
     
     
         11 . The method  claim 1  wherein the pivoting and/or movement of the connector in step (c) to tackingly engage the projections with the first structural member further comprises the step of pressing or hammering the projections into said tacking engagement with the first structural member. 
     
     
         12 . A connector for connecting a first and second timber structural members together, the connector being for mounting to a mounting face of the first structural member and for receiving at least a portion of the second structural member,
 wherein the connector comprises a lip portion and an at least one projection such that in use when the lip is placed into an underlapping association with an alignment surface of the first structural member at least one of   a) a pivoting of the connector about the lip at the underlapping association of the lip with the alignment surface and   b) a movement of the connector towards the first structural member and parallel with its alignment surface   forces the at least one projection into tacking engagement with the first structural member so as to cause the connector to be tacked in place, holding the connector in its placed orientation relative to the first structural member.   
     
     
         13 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the connector comprises a base plate and two side plates upwardly extending from the base plate to define a receiving channel to receive an end portion of the second structural member, and at least one mounting flange extending from a respective one of said base plate and one of said two side plates, said mounting flange to abut a surface of the first structural member and be secured thereto by at least one penetrative fastener, and wherein at least one mounting flange presents the at least one projection projecting from the mounting flange. 
     
     
         14 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the tacking engagement is associated with the penetration of the first structural member by the at least one projection such that the mounting flange abuts a surface of the first structural member. 
     
     
         15 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the tacking engagement of the connector with the first structural member is assisted by pressing by hand or hammer. 
     
     
         16 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the lip portion and at least one projection are provided at or towards two respective ends of the connector. 
     
     
         17 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the connector is a joist hangar, the first structural member is a beam and the second structural member is a joist. 
     
     
         18 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein the receiving channel comprises at least an alignment zone characterized by a zone of increasing length from a mouth of the channel to a base of the channel, wherein the length of the channel is perpendicular to the direction between the mouth and base of the channel, and in use during the receiving of a second structural member within the alignment zone of the amount of the second structural member along an elongate direction received by the channel progressively increases. 
     
     
         19 . The connector of  claim 12  wherein, in use, the tacking engagement of the connector to the first structural member is such that the connector may support its own weight on the mounting face of the first structural member.