Abstract
In vehicle design process, the torque setting for a bolted joint is mainly determined based on hardware tests. For a newly designed joint of a vehicle, making prototypes and performing tests is expensive and time consuming. Numerical simulation can help predict joint behavior and detect potential failure modes prior to hardware testing. This study developed a numerical simulation using the finite element method to set the installation torque for a joint based on torque-angle signature curves. A three-dimensional detailed model of the joint was constructed. Then, finite element dynamic simulation was used to simulate the installation process of the bolt by gradually applying a torque until the bolt failed. Using these simulations, the torque-angle curves were generated and were used to determine the installation torque of the joint. This was different from the majority of earlier approaches which mainly used hardware tests, two-dimensional or three-dimensional simplified models, and static analyses instead of dynamic analyses. Material nonlinearity and contact were used in the study to capture the joint failure and contact conditions. For comparison, experiments were conducted. The study showed that the finite element analysis accurately predicted the bolt behavior. These results show that numerical simulation can be used to determine torque settings analytically, and can be developed as a standard practice for determining joint torque when designing vehicles.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S. A. Nassar, T. Sun and Q. Zou, The effect of coating and tightening speed on the torque-tension relationship in threaded fasteners, SAE Paper No.2006-01-1252 (2006).
A. A. Pisano and P. Fuschi, Mechanically fastened joints in composite laminates: evaluation of load bearing capacity, Composites Part B: Engineering, 42(4) (2011) 949–961.
P. P. Camanho and M. Labert, A design methodology for mechanically fastened joints in laminated composite materials, Composites Science and Technology, 66(15) (2011) 3004–3020.
R. Vangipuram, A. Valasin and R. Squires, Torque angle signature analysis of joints with thread rolling screws and unthreaded weld nuts, SAE Paper No.2007-01-1665 (2007).
G. H. Majzoobi, G. H. Farrahi, S. J. Hardy, M. K. Pipelzadeh and N. Habibi, Experimental results and finite-element predictions of the effect of nut geometry, washer and teflon tape on the fatigue life of bolts, Fatigue and Fracture of Engineering Materials and Structures, 28(6) (2005) 557–564.
S. Narkhede, N. Lokhande, B. Gangani and G. Gadekar, Bolted joint representation in LS-DYNA to model bolt pretress and bolt failure characteristics in crash simulations, International LS-DYNA Users Conference, USA (2010).
M. Guo and S. Ali, Study on simplified finite element simulation approaches of fastened joints, SAE Paper No.2006-01-1268 (2006).
M. Zhang, Y. Jiang and C. H. Lee, Finite element modeling of self-loosening of bolted joints, Journal of Mechanical Design, 129 (2007) 218–226.
P. Ivanyi and M. Ivanyi Jr., On the simulation of failure mechanisms in steel structures, Advances in Engineer Software, 40(9) (2009) 871–882.
J. W. Hobbs, R. L. Burguete and E. A. Patterson, Investigation into the effect of the nut thread run-out on the stress distribution in a bolt using the finite element method, Journal of Mechanical Design, 125 (2003) 527–532.
T. Fukuoka and T. Takaki, Elastic plastic finite element analysis of bolted joint during tightening process, Journal of Mechanical Design, 125 (2003) 823–830.
J. H. Bickford and A. S. Nassar, Handbook of bolts and bolted joints, CRC Press, New York, USA (1998).
L. F. Liu, Simulation and experimental verification of the contact surface of a bolt, Master Thesis, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (2003).
J. H. Bickford, An introduction to the design and behavior of bolted joints, CRC Press, New York, USA (1997).
N. Motosh, Development of design charts for bolts preloaded up to the plastic range, Journal of Engineering for Industry, 75(DE-B) (1975) 849–851.
S. Izumi, T. Yokoyama, A. Iwasaki and S. Sakai, Three-dimensional finite element analysis of tightening and loosening mechanism of threaded fastener, Engineering Failure Analysis, 12 (2005) 604–615.
A. Yamamoto, Principle and design of screw joint, Tokyo, Japan (1995).
Y. Jiang, M. Zhang, T. W. Park and C. H. Lee, An experimental study of self-loosening of bolted joints, Journal of Mechanical Design, 126 (2004) 925–931.
Y. Jiang and M. Zhang, A study of early stage selfloosening of bolted joints, Journal of Mechanical Design, 125 (2003) 518–526.
H.-Y. Hwang, S. Juo and C. Lin, Study of torque setting for automotive fasteners, the 15th National Conference on Vehicle Engineering, Taipei (2010) SAE Paper No.A-014.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Recommended by Associate Editor Yoon Hyuk Kim
Hsiu-Ying Hwang received her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Vehicle Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan. Her researches include Vehicle Design, Optimization, NVH, Dynamics, Durability, Safety, Cooling System, System Integration, Applied Mechanics, Finite Element Methods, and 6-Sigma Quality Control.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hwang, HY. Bolted joint torque setting using numerical simulation and experiments. J Mech Sci Technol 27, 1361–1371 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-0317-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-0317-2