MEMBER STIFFNESS AND CONTRACT PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION OF BOLTED JOINTS

Member stiffnesses and the stress distributions in the bolts and members of bolted joints have been calculated for various bolt sizes, as well as thicknesses and materials of the members. The finite element method has been used to calculate the displacements and the stress distributions in the components of the bolted joint. Using axisymmetric elements, the bolted joint could be analyzed as a two-dimensional problem. Member stiffness ratios were calculated from the finite element results and compared with those calculated by a commonly used theory. The values were approximately comparable (16-30 percent difference) for the assumptions under which the theory was applied. Formulas and dimensionless curves which can be used to estimate the member stiffness ratios for several kinds of bolted joints are presented.