Rigid versus Pinned Heavy Timber Truss Connections.

[RARWOOD]

In the past the design recommendation was not to use rigid truss plates because of joint rotation which would induce tension perpendicular to the grain. Instead the recommendation was to use individual plates on the truss member connected to a pin which would allow for joint rotation.

I have talked to several engineers who feel that by oversizing the hole in the steel 1/16" you can account for most joint rotation. In addition there are others who will slot the holes in the truss plates perpendicular to the direction of the load to allow for rotation.

I am just wondering what some other designers thought are on this topic. All the engineers I know who have over thirty years of experience feel that the proper way to design the truss joints are with pinned connections.