THREE-DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF A BOLTED JOINT

摘要

A fiat steel flange clamped by 14 bolts was modelled by three dimensional finite element analysis to evaluate the apparent stiffness in compression of the flange. The bolt load was applied via an extremely stiff washer to eliminate the effect of bolt head deflection on the results. The dimensionless stiffness was found to vary with bolt aspect ratio d/L in a nearly linear fashion, with slope equal to that predicted by a simple cylindrical model. The conical frustum model, with a half angle of 32.8 degrees, predicted stiffnesses within a few percent of those measured. The interflange pressure along the bolt circle was calculated for a common bolt spacing and a range of aspect ratios.