Trusses based on MiTek technology.

Mitek is the name of an American company, a supplier of technology for the design and manufacture of wooden trusses on patented connecting elements – metal toothed plates.

Wooden trusses manufactured using Mitek technology are used for the construction of roofing frames in the construction of private houses, industrial and agricultural buildings, as well as for the production of wall panels, frame-type trusses (hangar), trusses for interfloor floors, as well as in the manufacture of forming frames for concrete formwork.

Three main elements of a complex engineering solution based on Mitek technology:

  • Designing in Mitek software. It is used for fast and accurate design of trusses taking into account all loads that will affect the structure: snow, wind, pavement weight, characteristic temporary loads (for example, from the weight of people). The program also takes into account combinations of loads and selects the most extreme one for calculation.
  • High precision cutting of wooden elements with Mitek equipment.
  • Reliable connection on MiTek metal toothed plates pressed into the truss.

Compliance with state standards

The process of designing structures necessarily takes place in accordance with the state building codes and standards of Ukraine. The loads are necessarily taken into account in accordance with the latest issued SBC – state building codes.

What does a Mitek wooden truss consist of?

Designing

Each structure is responsibly designed in the software complex from Mitek, at the time of writing the most modern complex is PAMIR. Our engineers have certificates of design in the Pamir system, and use a licensed version of the program. In it, in the process of designing, they calculate the strength, deflection and stability of the structure, cut wooden elements, and also select the size and position of the plate individually for each node.

Wood

In our production, truss trusses are made of coniferous wood (pine or spruce), class C22 in accordance with EN 14081-1:2005 with a moisture content of ± 20%.

MiTek plates

Patented MiTek toothed plates are made of galvanized steel or stainless alloy (the latter are used for structures with particularly aggressive environment), have a variety of standard sizes depending on the width and length of the plate, and different markings that carry information about the purpose of the plate (for pressing or for the assembly unit), the thickness of the steel and the length of the stamped teeth.

Types of plates

For the production of wooden trusses “Pragma” uses the following types of metal toothed plates:

Type of plate (marking) Thickness of metal Length of “tooth” (spike)
T150 MIT 1,5 mm 15 mm
M14 2 mm 20 mm
M16H 1,5 mm 20 mm
FSP14 (for enlargement on the construction site) 2 mm 20 mm

Production

  1. The wooden beam is sawn into blanks according to the drawings;
  2. Wooden blanks (truss elements) are soaked in an antiseptic solution;
  3. Impregnated and dried elements are laid out on Mitek magnetic tables and fixed in the design position;
  4. In the nodes of the future truss, metal toothed plates are laid out and pressed in using a hydraulic C-shaped press;
  5. Finished trusses are bundled for safe transportation to the site.

Why do you need Mitek plates?

The connection made on the Mitek plate resembles many nails pressed into the wood fibers. This method of fastening is much more reliable than glue or simple nails. The node of the wooden truss is pressed on both sides, and the “teeth” of the plate are tightly embedded in the wood fibers and the connection becomes non-separable. The wooden parts are firmly fixed in the design position, and do not have clutches, so they accurately transmit the forces arising from the loads. This feature of the technology allows splicing of wood in case of insufficient natural length of the board.

Drawings

Together with a set of wooden trusses, the customer receives installation drawings, which describe in detail the installation diagrams of trusses with three-dimensional models and specifications of elements, show the nodes with an exact explanation of how and where to use the fasteners included in the delivery set.

Advantages of Mitek technology

  • Attic truss. Roof + ceiling or attic + ceiling – two in one. Mitek technology makes it possible to make trusses, which are a roof structure with an attic room, and a ceiling for the room below;
  • Saving time during installation due to ready-made structures;
  • Extension of the construction season – installation in winter is possible;
  • Environmental friendliness of the material. In buildings made of wood a person feels naturally and comfortably;
  • The precise dimensions of all elements eliminate inconsistencies on the construction site, speed up installation and provide accurate roof planes, and as a result, smooth surfaces are very helpful when laying roofing materials;
  • Timber trusses are lightweight (compared to metal or reinforced concrete), so the supporting structures of the building will be cheaper;
  • It is possible to produce various frames, for example, forming elements for the formwork of bridge structures;
  • Full design documentation and 3D visualization of roof frames before the start of construction, eliminate any doubts and give confidence in the final result. The customer also receives a project for the roof structure, a component of the architectural project for obtaining a building permit;
  • Trusses for covering large spans without intermediate supports – up to 30 m;
  • Heat preservation – a wooden truss should not be in the warm part of the room, it can be brought outside, and put insulation only on the lower belt of the truss, and not on the roof slope, as in metal trusses;
  • The final price for the roof frame is known before the start of construction;
  • High-quality materials for the production of trusses give confidence in the reliability of the structure;
  • The process of assembling the frame is simple, so installation is very fast. Complex objects are assembled by qualified installers, and a small simple roof of a private house can be assembled independently;
  • Wooden trusses using Mitek technology allow to cover almost all objects, such as private houses, sheds, apartment buildings, sports grounds, riding arenas, warehouses, agricultural facilities and other large, spacious premises.

License from Mitek

Licensed software. Pragma designers carry out calculations and design of trusses in the latest version of the software, namely in the program “Pamir”, released in 2017. Designers annually improve their skills and receive a Mitek certificate for designing structures.

Certified plates. Plates made of a patented alloy and with specified characteristics are the key to reliable connections, so it is important in practice to use the same plate that is included in the calculation during the design. It is easy to check the authenticity: each plate is engraved with markings. Below the photo are examples:

Mitek equipment. For the production of wooden trusses using Mitek technology, Pragma uses a system of magnetic tables and hydraulic C-presses (50t and 30t) for pressing the plates.

The above facts confirm that Pragma is an official user of Mitek technology, and it can be easily checked on the official website mitek.ua.