This invention relates to improvements in and relatin to timber connectors.

Traditional timber construction utilizes nails to sec joints between timber structural members. Such nailed joi generally provide adequate strength since nails are very effective in shear but their poor pull-out resistance has lead to failure particularly as a result of lifting loads such as produced by cyclonic winds. As a result tie down bolts and the like have been incorporated into modern structures to make them able to withstand high wind loadin While these are effective in use they add to the cost and complexity of such structures.

Gang-nail connector plates are also used to form join between adjacent structural members however to date these have not provided such secure joints as to preclude the ne for additional hold down means to ensure that structures built using such connectors will withstand high wind loadings. In addition many types of gang-nail connectors expensive and suited only to specialised applications.

Other forms of connectors, in the form of cranked nai have been provided to connect timber components together, however these have not been particularly successful becaus of the difficulty of securing the connector to the timber members in a correct orientation to achieve the desired

structural connection.

This invention aims to alleviate the abovementioned disadvantages and to provide improved timber connectors whic will be reliable and efficient in use. With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a connector for connecting adjoining timber members and including:- a stem having anchoring means for locating said stem relative to one timber member and about which said connector may pivot to its connected attitude; a spike extending away from said stem whereby the portion of said stem adjacent said spike may extend across one face of the adjoining timber member with said spike penetrating said one face, and said spike forming an acute angle with said adjacent portion of said stem.

Preferably, the free end of the spike terminates outsid the arc in which the connected end of the spike scribes when pivoted about the anchoring means to its connected position. Preferably the acute angle is in the range of 60 to 85 degrees, and more particularly in the range of 75 to 85 degrees such that the spike may be driven with minimal spreading into a timber member by hammering adjacent the junction between the spike and the stem. Preferably, the distance from the outer end of the spik to the anchoring means is greater than the distance from the

anchoring means to the junction of. the spike and the stem. This arrangement is such that the act of driving the secondary spike into the complementary face of a further timber component will result in a tensioning of the stem. is also preferred that the spike is formed with a chisel shape sharpened end portion in which the bevel is formed on the face of the spike facing the anchoring means for enhancing the tensioning of the stem during the driving operation. in the preferred embodiment of the invention the stem and the spike are bent from a length of wire and the stem i resilient whereby it may deflect resiliently with respect t the spike when the latter is driven home substantially perpendicularly into the side face of a timber member where a self-clamping action may be achieved.

Preferably the spike constitutes a secondary spike and the anchoring means includes a primary spike interconnected to the secondary spike by the stem, and each spike is substantially contained within a respective plane of a pair of planes extending angularly to one another, such that the connector may be used to join timber members having respective faces disposed angularly to one another. In a preferred embodiment, the planes are substantially perpendicular whereby the connector may be used to join timber members having respective faces disposed at right angles to one another.

Preferably, the faces of the stem adjacent the spikes are planar so that they may lie flush against the adjacent surface of the timber component to which they are connected. For this purpose, the wire may have a circular cross-section which is deformed in the areas adjacent the spikes to provide the flattened face portions or the wire may have a rectangular cross-sectional configuration and be twisted intermediate the spikes.

Preferably, the stem is a cranked stem and each the spike forms an acute. angle with the adjacent portion of the cranked stem. Preferably, .the acute angle between the stem and the secondary spike is in the range of 75 to 85 degrees, and the primary spike is bent from a length of wire which constitutes the stem and the secondary spike. The stem may comprise two straight portions which extend from each respective spikes towards the other and wherein the stem portions are contained in the plane containing the primary spike and interconnect with an included angle of between 115 and 165 degrees such that, in use, the stem portion adjacent the primary spike may lie flat along one face of a first timber member while the stem portion remote from the primaxry spike may extend over the timber member to permit the secondary spike to engage a further member above the first timber member. In a further embodiment of this invention, the stem may include a loop portion adapted to pass about an elongate

member, the loop member constituting the anchoring means, such that the elongate member may be anchored to an adjoinin timber member into which the spike may be driven-. Preferably, the loop is an open loop and the stem terminates remote from the spike in a further spike adapted to be drive in spaced relationship to the spike into the adjoining timbe member. Preferably, the spikes extend substantially paralle and form acute angles with respective adjacent portions of the stem, such that they may be driven into a common face of the adjoining member.

The spikes may be bent from a length of wire and the ste may be resilient whereby it may deflect resiliently wit respect to the spikes when the latter are driven substantially perpendicularly into a side face of a timber member, and the angles are in the range of 75 degrees to 85 degrees. Preferably, the loop portion comprises two straigh stem portions which extend to the spikes and a straight member-engagement portion, the straight stem portions extending from respective spikes to the ends of the member- engagement portion, such that a flat-faced member may be engaged by the member-engagement portion and the load path from the latter to the spikes may be as direct as possible.

Preferably, the perpendicular distances from the axis o said member-engagement portion to said respective spikes differ by a significant distance which suitably may be at least twice the spike diameter, such that a pair of

connecters may be driven into opposed faces of a thin timbe member with minimal risk of opposed spikes meeting one another or without undue separation of the timber fibres in localised region. Suitably, the spikes may be placed at differing distances from the axis by providing respective spike portions of differing length, or with differing angles between the spike portions and the member-engagement portio or a combination of both.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will no be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a typical embodiment of the invention, wherein:-

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical application of the invention: FIG. 2 illustrates a further application of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the geometry of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the installation of the connector shown in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 illustrates further embodiments of the invention, and

FIGS 6 and 7 show a loop connecter according to the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, connectors 10 of the present invention may be used to secure together timber members 8 a

9 butted together at right angles to one another. For this purpose, four connectors 10 are utilised, disposed at opposite sides of the ^' respective timber members to be connected together. As illustrated in FIG. 3, each connector 10 includes a cranked stem 11 having respective end parts 12 and 13 arranged in a first plane illustrated in dotted outline at and extending at approximately one hundred and fifty degree to one another. Of course this angle can be varied to suit the particular application. This angle is provided so that when the end part 12 is supported against the side face 15 one timber member 9, the other end part 13 extends across t complementary face 16 of the adjacent timber member 8 to enable the connector 10 to be engaged therewith. A primary spike 17 extends inwardly from the end part substantially in the plane 14 and in this embodiment at an angle "A" to the adjacent stem part 12. The angle "A" is suitably eighty degrees but of course it may be varied as described above. ^' The connector assembly 10 also includes a secondary spike 18 which is contained in a further plane illustrated dotted outline at 19, which extends at approximately ninety degrees to the plane 14. The axis 20 of the secondary spik 18 forms an acute angle with the axis 21 of the other stem part 13 as illustrated. The stem part 13 may be kinked at so as to pass over an overlapped connector assembly as

8 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring particulary to FIG. 4 it will be seen that th acute angle formed between the primary spike 17 and the end part 12 provides a knuckle 23 which may be easily struck by hammer as indicated at 24 to drive the spike 17 into the lower timber member 9 so that the spike penetrates the membe 9 substantially at right angles to its side face 15 or at an upwardly inclined angle relative thereto.

It should be appreciated that if the spike 17 was forme at an obtuse angle with the stem 12 and the latter was inclined in use so that it diverged upwardly away from the end face of a hammer to enable the impact of the hammer to b directed to the spike and not to a point on the stem spaced from the spike, it is likely that the latter would enter the side face 15 in a downwardly inclined manner. This would not form an efficient connection for resisting extraction of the spike 17 as a result of tension applied to the stem 11.

Furthermore, when the spike 17 enters the timber member 9 substantially at right angles to the side face 15, the kne portion 25 of the stem will contact the upper corner of the timber member prior to the spike 17 being driven to the full home position. After contact between the knee portion 25 an the corner 26 occurs, further hammering of the spike 17 will cause the lower end part 12 of the stem 11 to deflect resiliently to enable the lower end part 12 to move inwardly and lie flush against the side face 15. This resilient

deflection will maintain a clamp-like grip about the timbe member 9 between the knee portion 25 and the spike 17 whic will maintain the connection 10 in an operative engaged attitude about the corner of the member 9. After the primary spike 17 has been hammered into the member 9, it constitutes an anchoring means about which th stem portion 13 may rotate. The hammer blows may then be directed to the knuckle 29 at the upper end of the stem-to spike junction to drive the secondary spike 18 into the timber member 8, rotating the stem portion 13 about the primary spike 17.

The arrangement of the connector 10 is such that the distance between the outer end 30 of the secondary spike 1 and the knuckle 23 is greater than the distance between th knuckle 23 and the knuckle 29, i.e. - the outer end 30 fal outside the arc 40 described by the radius line 41 drawn about the primary spike 17 through the knuckle 23. Thus t action of hammering the secondary spike 18 into the side f 16 will draw the timber member 8 downwardly into firm engagement with the timber member 9 as the knuckle 29 is drawn to the initial point of penetration. This action is further enhanced by the provision of a chisel-shaped end p 31 in which the bevelled edge 32 is on the underside of th •spike 18 so that the point of entry of the spike 18 to the side face 16 is at a maximum distance from the member 9 so that subsequent insertion of the spike 18 will draw the

timber members 8 and 9 together.

The secondary spike 18 is also arranged at an acute angle to the stem 13 so that in use, slightly misplaced hammer blows directed towards the spike 18 will not be deflected by engagement with the adjacent stem portion 13.

FIG. 4 illustrates the degree of misalignment at which connector 10 may be held for initial assembly purposes and still be in a position for effective engagement with a hammer, that is with both the stem portion 12 and the spike 17 extending from the knuckle 23 towards the face 15.

Preferably however, the connector 11 is initially held in a position pivoted in the direction indicated by arrow "I" to align the primary spike 17 closer to the desired penetration angle which is slightly upwardly inclined into the side face 15 or at right angles thereto. Insertion of the spike at a downwardly inclined angle is unlikely because of the steep angle at which the stem would extend.

FIG. 5 illustrates the use of a connector 50 which is similar to the connector 10 in configuration in relation to the relationship between the spikes 51 and the stem 52, however the stem 52 is longer to enable it to span an intermediate member 53 and connect together the members 54 and 55.

The alternate type of bridging connector 60 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 is adapted to secure a batten 61 to a rafte 62 or the like. This embodiment is also similar to the

connector 10 in configuration in relation to the relations between the spikes 63 and the stem portion 64. However in this embodiment both spikes 63 are disposed substantially parallel to one another and are adapted to penetrate a com side face of the member 62. The spikes 63 are inclined at angle of approximately eighty degrees to the plane contain the stem portion 64 to facilitate hammering into the membe 62. The stem portion 64 comprises a central portion 65 adapted for engagement with the rear face of the batten 61 and connector portions 66 joining the ends of the central portion 65 to the spikes 63. Suitably the connector 60 is used in pairs as illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the outer ends 67 of the spikes 6 fall outside an arc 71 descrbed by radius 72 centered on t under surface 73 which abuts the batten 61. Thus, when th latter is engaged behind a batten 61 and the spikes 63 are driven into the rafter 62, the central portion 65 is progressively drawn towards the rafter 62, providing a sec clamping action between the batten 61 and the rafter 62. order to prevent the spikes of the opposed identical connectors from penetrating the rafter 62 in a coaxial relationship and possibly splitting the rafter, the perpendicular distances between the spikes and the axis of central portion 65 differ by a significant distance. It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention

12 ^• and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed t fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.