Connector for structural steel

Claim 1

A connector for structural steel members comprising in combination: a. a support member having a rear surface for rigid connection to a vertical face of a first structural steel member, said support member comprising first and second outwardly projecting side walls including portions defining first surfaces which extend outwardly and converge to form a frontal slot therebetween, downwardly extending portions of said surfaces forming said slot converging to form a retaining socket, said support member further including a first face inclined downwardly and outwardly; b. a wedge member for interlocking with said support member and including a rear surface for rigid connection to an end of a second structural steel member, said wedge member further comprising first and second side walls defining surfaces which diverge outwardly for mating with said first surfaces of said support member, said side walls being wedgingly received in said frontal slot to prevent lateral movement between said members, said wedge member further including a second face which is inclined inwardly and downwardly to mate with said first face of said support member to maintain the wedge member firmly in engagement with said support member and thereby prevent relative longitudinal motion between said members; the front edge faces of the side walls of the support member being inclined downwardly and outwardly, and the side walls of said wedge member including laterally extending flanges, said flanges having downwardly and inwardly inclined frontal faces for mating with the front edge faces of the support member, the side walls of said support member further including further portions intermediate said surface defining portions and the rear surface of the support member for providing an erection clearance at the rear of the said socket for accommodating the portion of the wedge member extending beyond the flanges when the wedge member is initially inserted into the socket.