Double-Tee Connector Provides One-Weld, One-Joint Solution

Billing its Erector Connector as an innovative method for flange-to-flange connections, MeadowBurke emphasizes that the device eliminates slugs and minimizes

Billing its Erector Connector as an innovative method for flange-to-flange connections, MeadowBurke emphasizes that the device eliminates slugs and minimizes field welds, thereby reducing connection time by at least 50 to 75 percent. A flexible, stress-free connection adjoining concrete double tees or walls is effected, the manufacturer affirms, by a system comprising a Type A and Type B connector, plus faceplate. Options include a stainless steel magnetic holding plate and stitch plate.

The connection is completed by pulling on the extractor tape, sliding the weld plate until it contacts the adjacent Type B connector, and making a single 3-in. x ∫-in. fillet weld. Allowing for a standard _-in., zero- or 1-in. joint, the Erector Connector permits the tee joint to expand and contract with the building. Thus, total control of vertical and horizontal shear loads is provided with no tension loads to the connection. Manufacturer-cited benefits of the Erector Connector include simplicity of design, ease of installation, fast connections, and zero tension stresses, eliminating stress cracks.
Û 866/730-2904; www.meadowburke.com

EXPANSION JOINT

Compared to labor-intensive expansion joints Û requiring additional weld plates, long steel angles, above-the-head welding, and less than optimal finished appearance (below, top photo) Û the MB Erector Connector Expansion Joint offers a simple design, easy installation, and fast connection, company representatives contend. MeadowBurke’s solution uses a Type-A Erector Connector on each side of the joint. Once tees are resting in their final position, the internal weld plates are extracted about half way; a 3-in. _ 2-in. _ ?-in.-thick MB Stitch Plate is placed directly on top of the extracted plates; and, a ∫-in. fillet weld is completed on each plate edge from the tee’s top side.

The ?-in.-thick plate provides needed adjustment. Joint width, ranging from 2 in. to 4 in. or more, can be adapted to engineering requirements, thereby matching the deck-side expansion joint. To accommodate standard products, the MB Expansion Joint can be set low in the thickness of the flange. A final benefit is the tidy appearance from under the slab (bottom photo).