Testing Nails for Ductility and Toughness

Ductility and toughness of nails influence their drivability as well as their lateral load transmission in wood. Determination of nail ductility and toughness has been simplified by the introduction of the MIBANT device and its use for testing of pallet nails on the basis of established performance criteria. Stiff-stock and hardened-steel nails are considerably tougher than are low-carbon-steel nails. With the increasing use of stainless-steel nails in building construction and wood assembly, it is desirable to determine their relative ductility and toughness. MIBANT tests were performed on a limited number of 0.083- to 0.085-inchdiameter, low-carbon-steel, stainless-steel (304), and hardened-steel nails. A 1.00-pound, instead of the standard 3.50-pound, free-fall drop weight of the MIBANT device was used because of the relatively small wire diameter. The results from tests of one lot of low-carbon-steel, eight lots of stainless-steel (304), and one lot of hardened-steel nails are summarized. Recently the MIBANT device has been used to determine the ducility and toughness of NWPCA-approved, 2-1/2-inch-long, 15-gage, 7/16-inch-crown, polymer-coated, pallet staples. Thus, it appears that the MIBANT device will serve as a convenient quality-control tool for staples as well as nails.

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