Nails are good in shear but poor in tension

Structure · Sills · printed page 45 (PDF page 46)

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Book index entries

Nails – Good in Shear

Text in the illustration

good nailing arrangement - utilizes the nail's high shear strength
nails are poor in tension - this joint can easily pull apart

Generated explanation

The illustration compares two nailed wood assemblies, each with a horizontal member connecting two upright members. Upward arrows above the uprights and downward arrows over the horizontal members indicate opposing loads. In the left arrangement, nails driven horizontally through the uprights into the horizontal member resist the load in shear, and a green check marks this as a good nailing arrangement. In the right arrangement, nails driven upward through the horizontal member into the ends of the uprights are loaded in withdrawal, described as tension in the illustration. A red cross and a dashed displaced outline show that this joint can easily pull apart.