What Is a Bracket?
A bracket is an L-shaped piece of hardware used to support a structure. They are sometimes called “braces.”
Brackets are used to secure a vertical surface, such as a wall or column, to a member that projects horizontally from the vertical surface, using bolts or other means.
Brackets are used to secure heavy or long members because they support horizontal members and allow for a large load capacity, which is the weight the member can bear without deformation or damage.
Uses of Brackets
Brackets are used to secure and support members by fastening one side of the L-shaped bracket to a wall or column and the other side to the structure.
Since brackets can easily fix a structure perpendicular to the base member by simply fixing it with bolts, they are used in many applications. These include the interiors of homes and offices, fixing various machines and beams in factories, and securing scaffolds.
Appropriate brackets are selected according to the weight of the structure to be secured, the required load capacity, and the position where the load is to be applied, to ensure sufficient strength.
Principle of Brackets
When a heavy or heavily loaded member is fastened to a wall at both ends or only on one side, the load is concentrated at the fastening point, which may cause the wall to break and the member to fall.
In addition, when securing a bendable member such as a long bar or a thin plate, if the member is secured locally at only one end, the deflection will be so great that the center of the member will not be able to withstand the bending stress and may fail, increasing the risk.
Brackets are used to secure the member to the wall, reducing the risk of wall or member failure by extending the anchorage to a certain distance from the edge of the member. If there is a source of vibration, such as from a motor drive, brackets also help reduce the propagation of vibration due to the increased rigidity of the member.
In addition, by securing with brackets, bolts can be prevented from breaking because only vertical forces are applied to the bolts. In contrast, shear loads are applied to the bolts when they are secured directly to the wall without brackets.