Geoconnect® connectors, the first structural connectors to be certified in Europe with the CE marking issued by ITeC
The Geoconnect® LL connectors by the company Steel For Bricks are the first structural connectors to be awarded the CE marking in Europe. ITeC prepared the reference document ETA 16/0064, making European certification possible.
Furthermore, ITeC issued the DAU 15/096 for the Geoconnect® LL connectors and the DAU 15/095 for the fixed Geoconnect® MP connectors, with these documents covering the project and implementation aspects of the connection systems in accordance with Spanish regulations.
With these certificates, Steel for Bricks offers connection solutions on the market for structural components with proven performance at European level, accompanied by the project and implementation criteria necessary to ensure the performance of the products on site.
Steel For Bricks GZ affords the following structural connection possibilities:
Geoconnect® LL (ETA 16/0064 y DAU 15/096)
Connector to transmit shear stresses between slabs, slabs and beams or supports, and between walls, creating an expansion joint where they meet.
Geoconnect® MP (DAU 15/095)
Connectors to transmit shear stresses between beams, slabs or floor structures to walls, piles or concrete supports without any relative displacement between them.
Description of Geoconnect® LL connectors
Connecting devices to transmit shear stresses between slabs, slabs and beams or supports, and between walls, creating an expansion joint where they meet. They are used to substitute half lap joints or double pillars, with the subsequent reduction in the complexity and cost of the joint.
Geoconnect® LL connectors consist of the following components:
- Male component: connecting dowel and fixed reinforcement of the dowel.
- Female component: displacement sleeve that includes a plug, a fixed reinforcement for the sleeve and a perforated plate for nailing.
There are two types of Geoconnect® LL connectors depending on the degree of displacement freedom that they allow:
- Connector with one degree of freedom: with axial displacement of the dowel along the length of the sleeve and no displacement along the perpendicular plane in regard to the connector axis.
- Connector with two degrees of freedom: with axial displacement of the dowel along the length of the sleeve and perpendicular to the plane of the connector axis.
The connector options involve the dowel material which can be either stainless or galvanised steel depending on the required protection against corrosion, and the diameter of the dowel, six options ranging from 20 mm to 40 mm, which permits adjusting the product to the load conditions and the geometry of the structural items being connected. The nominal width of the joint between construction items for each connector diameter varies from 0 mm to 60 mm.
Description of Geoconnect® MP connectors
Connectors to transmit shear stresses between slabs, beams or floor structures to walls, piles or concrete supports without any relative displacement between them. The use of Geoconnect® MP connectors avoids the need to fit corbels in the wall, pile or support, to support the slab, beam or floor structure.
Moreover, Geoconnect® MP connectors are used in the following joints: ramp slabs to pillars, foundation slabs to screen walls, between walls on the same plane and between slabs and floor structures to pile screen walls when a damp proofing barrier is fitted between them.
Geoconnect® MP connectors consist of the following components:
- Male component: connecting dowel and fixed reinforcement of the dowel.
- Filling: resin or mortar without retraction.
Geoconnect® MP connectors have the same version options as the Geoconnect® LL connectors.
Assessment performed
The mechanical performance of the connectors has been assessed in experiments in regard to validation of the calculation model used to determine the edge bending strength in accordance with the criteria established in the European reference guide ETAG 030-1: Dowels for structural joints. Part 1: General.
For elaboration of the DAU for Geoconnect® MP, and in the absence of an applicable reference method, a theoretical model has been experimentally developed and validated to check fatigue due to lamination of the dowel or local compression of concrete in walls or piles on which Geoconnect® MP connectors are supported.
Likewise, tables have been prepared which include the structural performance values for both connectors in accordance with the different possible versions.
The ETA (European Technical Assessment) is the European document describing the technical assessment of the performance of products that are not partially or fully covered by a standardised technical specification. The ETA is prepared by ITeC as the OET (Organisation for Technical Assessment) and is approved within the context of the EOTA – European Organisation for Technical Assessment.
The DAU, Document of Assessment for Fitness of Use, is the document in which a statement with a favourable opinion regarding an innovative construction project and defined construction system is issued, in relation to the uses envisaged in building and civil engineering. The DAU is prepared and issued by ITeC, as the authorised body for issuing DAU, in regard to the technical assessment of the fitness for use of innovative products or systems.
The full updated text of the ETA 16/0064 can be checked at itec.cat/certificacion/ete, and DAU 15/095 and DAU 15/096 at itec.es/certificacion/dau.
