Clemson engineering alumnus Ed Sutt might just have nailed his spot in history.

Sutt has invented a better nail, a staple of construction that has changed little since the Roman Empire — one that could be a boon to contractors working in hurricane and earthquake country.

The new and improved sheathing nail developed by the 38-year-old former home builder has been recognized by Popular Science as the magazine’s 2006 Innovation of the Year.

“I have difficulty grasping how big this has become,” Sutt said from his fastener lab in Rhode Island. “You get so involved in a project, you get sort of numb to the revolutionary nature of it.

“I’m still asking whether this is just an evolutionary step toward to the ultimate nail.”

The HurriQuake nail, developed by Sutt in his work as a fastener engineer at Bostitch, could dramatically reduce hurricane and earthquake damage to homes and other structures.

Clemson estimated the carbon-steel alloy nail would raise the price of a new home about $15.

The HurriQuake features angled barbs to resist pulling out in wind gusts of up to 170 mph. The top of the nail shank is twisted to reduce wobbling by boards, and the nail head is about 25 percent larger than the average sheathing nail. Sheathing nails are designed specifically to apply plywood sheathing to floors, side walls and roofing of buildings.

Scott Schiff, a civil engineering professor who taught Sutt and works in the Clemson Wind Load Test Facility, said the company’s challenge will be winning over builders. In addition to the modest increase in cost, the nail will be substantially more difficult to remove, he said.

Schiff said he hopes builders and regulators will recognize the dramatic increase in the strength of structures built with Sutt’s nail.

“This potentially could make a huge difference on insurance premiums and housing codes,” he said.

The HurriQuake nail has as much as twice the resistance to being pulled out of framing or having its head pull through the sheathing on a house, independent testing has shown.

Currently, the nail only is available in hurricane-prone coastal areas from North Carolina to Texas, but Bostitch is adding new production lines to meet increased demand, Clemson said.

Nails came into widespread use to replace wooden pegs during the Roman Empire period 2,000 years ago. For centuries, nails were made one at a time by blacksmiths. Schiff said it is obvious nails were scarce and expensive when Charleston’s Colonial-era houses were built, because many wooden pegs were used to hold the homes together.

In 1795, Jacob Perkins received a patent for a process to mechanically cut and put heads on nails.

And then came Sutt. He understands his nail could substantially improve the survivability of houses in hurricane zones.

“The invention of the nail allowed the Romans to put things together quickly,” Sutt said. “This just allows us to do it better.”

Reach Hammond at (803) 771-8474.