• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

8 mm diameter of steel anchor equivalent to 40 mm by 4.76 mm thick steel strap?

sunyaer

Registered User
Joined
Apr 21, 2022
Messages
338
Location
Toronto
This is from Ontario building code part 9:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.20.11.1. Anchorage of Floor or Roof Assemblies
(1) Where required to receive lateral support, masonry walls shall be anchored to each floor or roof assembly at
maximum intervals of 2 m, except that anchorage of floor joists not more than 1 m above grade may be omitted.
(2) Anchors required in Sentence (1) shall be corrosion-resistant and be not less than the equivalent of 40 mm by
4.76 mm thick steel straps.

(3) Anchors required in Sentence (1) shall be shaped to provide a mechanical key with the masonry and shall be
securely fastened to the horizontal support to develop the full strength of the anchor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions:

1. Would a 8 mm diameter of steel anchor be equivalent to 40 mm by 4.76 mm thick steel strap, and comply with 9.20.11.1.(2)?
2. Are conventional anchor bolts for sill plates qualified as anchors required by 9.20.11.1.(2)?
 
Would depend on the strength of the steel used.

But what may be more important is the capacity of the anchor in the concrete., how the anchor is connected to the strap and the number off fasteners connecting the strap to the structure. Until these questions are resolved we do not know the systm capacity.
 
1. This would require a design by a structural engineer.

2. No. This section would have to refer code users to the other section if it was the intention of the code to allow them as equivalent.
 
The reference to steel straps is a guidepost for Z240 10.1-copliant structures. Such straps are commonplace on one-unit minihomes that, by virtue of the Z240 compliance, need not have foundations and can be placed on blocking.
 
The reference to steel straps is a guidepost for Z240 10.1-copliant structures. Such straps are commonplace on one-unit minihomes that, by virtue of the Z240 compliance, need not have foundations and can be placed on blocking.
You are referring to 9.15.1.3. which creates an exception where certain buildings do not require a foundation.

The clause the original poster is looking at is related to anchoring roofs, floors, and intersecting walls to masonry walls when they require lateral support.
 
I have NO idea what the heck was going on in my brain, here.
You just experienced a heuristic. One of the decision making glitches that exist in all of our brains. This one is where we see a question that we don't know the answer to, but it is very similar to one we do know the answer to. Our brain subconsciously substitutes the "easy" question in for the "hard" question and we end up answering the wrong question.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnman is a good introduction on the topic.
 
Top