Disregarding load testing...What type of analysis/calculations can be used to justify the, relatively, high loads that light gage timber/hanger
connections appear to have? Also, what literature is available in this regard?
WHAT ARE THE DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS?
WHAT ARE THE ANALYSIS ASSUMPTIONS?
HOW IS IT THAT ,APPARENTLY, FAIRLY HEAVY LOADS ARE TRANSFERRED BY RELATIVELY, THIN 1/4" PLATE ASSEMBLIES...
---HOW DO THESE TIMBER SADDLE HANGER CONNECTIONS WORK?
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN WHAT SIMPSON DOES.......THEY APPARENTLY, LOAD TEST THEM.....BUT, THERE MUST BE A WAY TO ANALYSIS THEM--USING SIMPLE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESES HANGERS...ALSO, THE
PREFAB/OFF THE SHELF MODELS ARE NOT PLEASANT TO LOOK AT.
THANKS,
Sounds like you should dig out your mechanics of materials and theory of plates books and just buckle down and use some grey matter. Remember, a good finite element model can do many many things. Simple doesn't always exist, jump in and find out.
Do note that the Simpson hanger require many nails to aquire the "relatively high loads." SO, if you can imagine loading a piece of steel in tension, with enough nails to prevent torsion and create a fairly uniform load distribution, maybe you will have some faith in the strap hangers. Of course, the capacities of simpson hangers is not that high relative to the loads I look at, but I still think they are good, and beat the living hell out of the toenailing I have seen in some residential construction.
This probably still doesn't answer your question, but I still haven't figured out exactly what you are wondering.