From the first years of operation, Simpson Strong-Tie has led the industry in engineered structural connector design. Today, we have more than 60 engineers on staff, and the legacy of innovative product development lives on through the work we do every day. We have several accredited test facilities, giving us the capability to test the smallest products to the largest systems. The work we do in our labs gives us a better understanding of how structures perform, advances our design technology and improves building safety.
Our Research Labs
Tyrell Gilb Research Laboratory, Stockton, California
Tyrell Gilb Research Lab is the hub of our research and development activities. The lab's highly specialized equipment allows us to test a structure's ability to resist earthquakes, high winds and other natural disasters. Full-scale structural components are tested using the lab's seismic shake table and cyclic/static test frame. The shake table re-creates ground motion, moving back and forth horizontally at the foundation level. The vertical and horizontal cyclic/static rigs apply force laterally to the top of a wall structure and can test wall sections up to five-stories high. Together, this type of testing provides an accurate measurement of a structure's resistance capabilities. The lab's three-dimensional testing of full-scale buildings is used to help clarify issues regarding allowable resistances of bracing methods under various load conditions. (Click here to see our test rigs in action.) The newest addition to the lab is a designated area to test our new line of Repair, Protection and Strengthening Systems for Concrete and Masonry. We now have the ability to submerge timber piles in water to recreate marine conditions for our products used underwater.
The lab is named in memory of Tyrell (Tye) Gilb, a former professor of architecture who led our research and development efforts for 35 years. "Tye's legacy of innovative product development lives on through the work done here," says Tom Fitzmyers, vice chairman of Simpson Strong-Tie. "The laboratory's testing capabilities allow us to advance our structural design technology, which improves building safety and ultimately helps save lives. That would have made Tye very proud."
Connector Laboratory, Pleasanton, California
Housed in our home office, the Connector Laboratory is accredited in more than 20 international construction standards. The lab routinely tests product prototypes and construction code criteria. Engineers in the lab use a variety of equipment to test not only individual connectors, but entire structural systems. In addition to testing products, the lab focuses its research on corrosion, wood assemblies, and concrete and masonry. The state-of-the-art computer system and 3D printer are used to build and test prototypes, allowing us to respond to customer testing and criteria requests.
Anchor Systems Research and Development Facility, West Chicago, Illinois
The main function of the West Chicago Laboratory is to test the structural integrity of concrete structures. On-site equipment can simulate earthquakes and other forces that can cause concrete to crack. Research from the lab is used primarily to develop new anchor and adhesive products for infrastructure, commercial and industrial construction. It is one of only a few labs in the United States accredited for this type of testing.
Branch Laboratories, North America and Europe
We have research facilities at our branches across the globe. In Tamworth, UK, engineers test prototypes and code criteria for the European construction market. Our North American branch laboratories (Texas, Ohio, Northern and Southern California, and Canada) address regional construction issues to service local customers.
Industry Innovation
Our research and development activities have led to many advances in the building industry. Over the years, we have developed countless products that help ensure structural safety and reduce cost, and created new construction systems to improve the way structures are designed and built.
Research initiatives and product innovations resulting in higher load values, faster installation, reduced costs and greater structural safety include:
Corrosion
Our corrosion research was instrumental in helping develop product solutions when the industry switched to new, and often more corrosive, formulas of pressure-treated wood. We actively communicated research and product recommendations to the building industry.
Structural Fasteners
Pioneering the use of structural fasteners (Strong-Drive® structural fasteners) with engineered structural connectors improved the strength and performance of wood-frame building connections as well as significantly reduced installed time and costs. This product change led by Simpson Strong-Tie is being well-received in the field and in the engineering community, and continues to gather momentum.
3D Testing
Our 3D testing of full-scale buildings continues to help clarify issues regarding allowable resistances of bracing methods under various load conditions.
Cyclic Testing
Leading the way in concrete repair, protection and strengthening, we conducted the industry’s first full-scale, cyclic tests of repaired wood piles using the FX-70® Structural Repair and Protection System. The tests verified the system’s performance capabilities and provided engineers with real-world data to help them evaluate the FX-70 System as a potential solution for their structural repair applications.