Connections 7.1 Service Release

Important Note – These are descriptions to changes implemented in WoodWorks Connections for version 7.1 and may not reflect current program behaviour.

Released July 31, 2007 with - Design Office 7, Service Release 1

1. Calculation of Group Factor J_G

   For parallel -to-grain bolted steel-to-wood connections with more than one bolt per row, the calculation for J_G factor (CSA O86 10.4.4.1) was using the thickness of the steel side plate as the member thickness l, when it should have been using the thickness of the wood member (as per 10.4.2). This was causing the J_G factor to be much smaller than it should have been, resulting in sharply reduced connection capacities P_r (app. 30% of expected value) and extremely conservative design.

2. Bolt Design Search

   When bolt size is "unknown", the program starts its design search with a bolt size indicated in the program initialization file. If a design is not found with larger bolts, it is supposed to go back and try smaller bolt sizes, but was not doing so unless no bolt configuration with the larger bolts is possible. If such configurations are possible but fail, the program would not return and try smaller bolts.

   As a result, Connections would, for example, report design failure one 3/4" bolts when it is possible to achieve a passing design with two 1/2" bolts. This has been rectified and the program now reports the design using smaller bolts.

3. Reporting of Tension Capacity, Net Area (T_r) Failure

   The program was not properly indicating failed design due to the tension capacity net area (T_r) check. It displayed a message box saying “Unable to design connector: error in design routine", and did not output design results. The program now shows all the other design results along with a prominent warning that the net area check failed.

4. Row Tear-out in Design Results Report

   The design report was displaying a line for row tear-out although no row tear-out design is done in the Canadian version of Connections.

5. Wood-to-Wood Skewed Connection

   When a wood-to-wood skewed connection design fails due to Tension Capacity, Net Area (T_r) being insufficient, the parallel and perpendicular to grain capacities Pr and Qr were not being reported.

6. Wood-to-Wood Orthogonal Connection
   1. Bolt Placement

      Bolted wood-to-wood orthogonal connections were not placing the bolts within the connection area as specified in the connection details.

   2. Number of Bolts and Bolts Per Row

      Bolted wood-to-wood orthogonal connections were not using the specified member widths to define the available connection area, this resulted in an incorrect number of rows and bolts per row being allowed.