A structural member, often resembling an L-shape or knee, used to reinforce the connection between two intersecting timbers or steel plates. Shipwrights install brackets to distribute stress at right-angle joints, such as where deck beams meet the hull frames. They prevent the joint from shifting or tearing under the dynamic loads of a vessel at sea.
Heard on the job
Weld a heavy bracket at the turn of the bilge to stiffen that frame.