Source: Meadow Burke LLC, Tampa, Fla.
The DT Connector is the first product of its kind designed to reduce seismic activity-rooted damage in precast structures by improving the performance of chord connectors subject to seismic events. Meadow Burke unveiled the hardware at the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Convention in Nashville, noting that precast construction practitioners have always been challenged with limiting structural damage in large-scale buildings during seismic activity.
Developed and tested at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., the DT Connector raises the bar in seismic resistant construction by introducing a new type of ductile casted chord connector that provides a high deformation capacity. “Most connectors we tested fall into the low deformation category and we saw the opportunity to develop a new type of connector with a higher flexural deformation capability to serve diaphragm floor systems in high seismic zones,” says Lehigh Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Chair Dr. Clay Naito, who was instrumental in the DT concept. — 877/518-7665; www.meadowburke.com