The COSMOS Companion

Modeling Connectors - Bolts

Volume 101
Sponsored by:
What is the COSMOS Companion?

• The COSMOS Companion is a series of short subjects to

help design engineers build better products with
SolidWorks Analysis
• Video presentations and accompanying exercises
• A tool for Continuous Learning on your schedule
• Pre-recorded videos are accompanied by a more detailed
webcast with Q & A
– Download videos and review webcast schedule at:
http://www.cosmosm.com/pages/news/COSMOS_Companion.html

• It is not an alternative to instructor-led introductory training

– We highly recommend you take a course with your local reseller to build a
solid knowledge base
Bolted Joints

• Fastener loads are an important output of a Finite

Element model
– Simple to calculate on simple problems
F
L/2

F L
F/2 F/2
Bolted Joints

• Fastener loads are an important output of a Finite

Element model
– Not so straightforward as model complexity increases
Bolted Joints

Primary Causes of Bolted Joint Failure

• Failure to Provide Sufficient Clamping Force
– Preload must exceed external loads
• Bolt Overloaded by External Loads
– Bolt loaded beyond yield strength – Weakened Joint
– Bolt loaded beyond tensile strength – Joint Failure
– Shear Failure also critical
• Fatigue Failure
– Repeated loading requires a preload in excess of peak alternating loads to
minimize cyclic loading of bolt
• Excessive Bearing Pressure
– Compressive pressure under the bolt head or nut should not exceed the
compressive yield strength of the joint material
• Thread Stripping
– Shear failure of threads as a combination of preload and external loading
Bolted Joints

Bolt Connector Output

• Component Forces in
Shear, Axial, and Bending
• Use these forces to size
bolts
• Remember that in a
redundant system, bolt
loads will be a function of • Calculate bolt acceptability
their stiffness using standard tables and
– Stiffer Bolts will carry more calculations for proof
load strength and thread failure
• If bolts are resized,
simulation should be
repeated with new sizes
Bolt Connector Basics

Bolt With Nut

• Choose Head & Nut Contact
Faces
• Must be on separate parts
• Should be Split Lines at Bolt
Head, Washer, and/or Nut
Diameters
• Bolt holes don’t necessarily
need to be selected or even
exist.
• Bolt and Nut Contact Faces
should be concentric but
COSMOSWorks will allow
selection of non-concentric
faces!
Bolt Connector Basics
Bolt without Nut
• Select Head Contact Face on one
part and Shank Contact face(s) on
another part.
– Shank Contact Face corresponds to
the threaded hole in the second part
involved in the bolted joint.
– Shank Contact Faces must be
cylindrical, coaxial, and on the same
part.
– Icon appears to allow 2 or more
parts to be selected but only one
Shank Contact Face is allowed
– Head Contact Face should be a Split
Line at the diameter of the bolt head
or washer & concentric with Shank
Contact Face
• COSMOSWorks doesn’t require a split
line, concentricity or a clearance hole
in Component 1
Bolt Connector Basics

Grounded Bolt
• Grounded Bolt is the only Bolt Connector
option available in a Part document. Others
require an assy
• Select Head Contact Face on Component 1
– Head Contact Face should be a Split Line at the
diameter of the bolt head or washer
• COSMOSWorks doesn’t require a split line,
concentricity or a clearance hole in Component 1

• Select a Plane representing the contact face

which the Bolt preloads Component 1 against
– This must be the plane a Virtual Wall contact
condition is (or will be) defined with.
– COSMOSWorks allows you to exit the input form
without selecting this plane but the solve will fail!
– Must be a reference plane, not a flat solid face
– If a Virtual Contact condition is not defined, the
solver will return with an error message
instructing you to define it.
Bolt Connector Basics

Tight Fit Option

• The tight fit option requires the selection
of a thru hole
• It is assumed that the bolt has no radial
clearance and, essentially, ‘plugs’ the
hole.
• In reality, COSMOSWorks makes the
hole around the bolt rigid so that there
are no local deformations.
• This results in an overly stiff bolt/hole
and should be used with caution.
Bolt Connector Basics

• General Assumptions
– The Bolt Head/Washer and the Nut contact faces
always remain in contact with the Bolted Components
and cannot slide due to shear loads (infinite friction).
– If the Tight Fit option is selected, the Bolt shank is
rigidly tied to the thru holes. They cannot slide or
deform under shear loading – No clearance or elasticity
in the bolt.
– Otherwise, the Bolt Shank does not interact with the
thru holes in any way.
Bolt Connector Basics

• Define a material or choose one from

the COSMOS Material Library
• If a library material is chosen,
COSMOSWorks copies the Young’s
Mod, Poisson’s Ratio, and CTE to the
Bolt definition…it doesn’t link the Bolt to
the material
– Changes to a library material will not be
reflected in any existing Bolt definitions
– Failure properties (Yield, Ultimate Strength,
Fatigue Strength) are not used by the Bolt
Bolt Connector Basics

• Preload can be defined as an axial

force or as a Bolt Torque
• An axial preload imposes an internal
force on the Bolt that imparts a
compressive load on the bolted parts
– A spec of 1000 lb preload gives you a
1000 lb preload

• A Torque preload converts input torque

(as might be applied to the head or
nut) to axial preload.
Preloading Bolts

• The Torque to Preload conversion uses these

relationships:
– Bolt with a Nut: Faxial = T/(K*D) **Nut Torqued
– Bolt w/o a Nut: Faxial = T/(K*D*1.2) **Head Torqued
• The 1.2 factor compensates for shank wind-up when the head is
tightened.

• T = Applied Torque
• D = Nominal Bolt Diameter
• K = Torque Coefficient
Preloading Bolts

Torque Coefficient, K
• The calculation of K involves thread diameters, thread lead
angle, friction coefficients, and thread angles
• Since friction coefficients are very difficult to estimate in a
real-world application, it is recommended that published
‘ball park’ K values be utilized:
– Non-Plated K=0.30
– Zinc-Plated K=0.20 – 0.28
– Lubricated K=0.18
– Cadmium-Plated K=0.12 – 0.15
• When in doubt, use 0.20 for initial analyses but it is highly
recommended that a more empirical correlation of torque
to preload be made using the actual parts, bolts and
tightening system to ensure better predictability of preload
Preloading Bolts

More thoughts on preloading:

• Remember that the torque that contributes to preload includes a component of
“running torque” which is the torque required to overcome friction before load
is engaged. This also varies greatly and must be subtracted from the total
applied torque
• High levels of friction or the use of thread lock can cause high shear (torsional)
stresses to occur in a bolt shank that must be added to axial stress when
considering applied stress. It is recommended that the total stress in a single-
use bolt not exceed 90% of the Yield Strength
• Up to 85% of the measured torque can be attributed to losses that don’t
contribute to preload such as under-head friction and thread deformation.
Again, correlation in a controlled test is ideal
• Typical error levels for different preloading methods:
– Operator “Feel” +/- 35%
– Torque Wrench +/- 25%
– Angle (Turn of Nut) Control +/- 15%
– Load Indicating Washer +/- 10%
– Measure Bolt Elongation +/- 5%
– Hydraulic Bolt Pretension +/- 1-10%
– Strain Gage/Ultrasonics +/- 1%
Bolts in Shear
Clearance Hole
0.36” Dia

100#

100#
0.25”

0.25”

100# M

M=100# * 0.25”
= 25 lb-in
Bolts in Shear

Bolt Connector: 0.00039”

Solid Bolt: 0.00037”
Difference: 5%
Bolts in Shear – Tight Fit

30% Difference
Non-Conservative if bolt is expected to carry shear load
Bolts in Shear – Tight Fit

Connector Solid Bolt

Note Holes retain Cylindrical Shape Note Holes Deform as expected
Bolts in Tension

100#
Bolts in Tension

• Bolt Strength = Proof Strength, Sp

– 90% of 0.2% Yield Strength
• Proof Load: Fp = At * Sp
– At = Tensile Stress Area
• ¼ - 20 UNC Bolt Grade 5
– Nominal Diameter, Dn = 0.25 in
– Tensile Stress Area, At = 0.0318 in2
– Grade 5 Proof Strength, Sp = 85,000 psi
– Proof Load, Fp = AtSp = 2,700 lbf
• Guideline Preload, Fi
– Fi = 0.75Fp : Reused Connections
– Fi = 0.90Fp : Permanent Connections
• Preload for Permanent Connection = 2,430 lbf

Source: Mechanical Engineering Design 5th Ed.; Shigley & Mischke; McGraw-Hill; 1989
Bolts in Tension

Von Mises Stress Contact Pressure

 Bolts in Tension

Joint Stiffness Calculations

Extension Stiffness of Bolt, Kb

Compression Stiffness of Joint, Kj A0.25 = 0.049 in2
E=30e6 psi
F=2430# L = 0.50 in.
D = 0.000172” Kb = AE/L = 2,945,000 #/in
Kj = F/D = 14,125,000 #/in Preload Extension = F/K = 0.000825 in.
Bolts in Tension

Bolt Carries
Joint Diagram Entire Load

3,000
Applied Load (Lbf)

Separation Load ( 2,950 lbf)

2,000

Preload ( 2,430 lbf)

1,000

Bolt Extension Joint

Preload Compression
Preload
0

Extension/Compression (in^10-4)
Bolts in Tension
Separation Load

Contact Pressure

P3 Stress

P1 Stress
Presentation Summary

• In this COSMOS Companion unit, we explored the

use of Bolt Connectors to represent bolted joints
• Inherent assumptions for each Connector type
was reviewed
• Bolt Connector output compared favorably to
theoretical results
• The concept of Joint Diagrams was introduced as
a means to estimate separation loads for bolt
sizing including preliminary preload calculations
Conclusion

• For more information…

– Contact your local reseller for more in-depth training or
support on using Connectors and modeling bolted joints
– Review the on-line help for a more detailed description
of the features discussed
– Attend, or better yet, present at a local COSMOS or
SolidWorks user group.
• See http://www.swugn.org/ for a user group near you
– References on bolted joints:
• Mechanical Engineering Design 5th Ed.; Shigley & Mischke;
McGraw-Hill; 1989
• Unbrako Engineering Guide; SPS Technologies; Cleveland, OH;
www.unbrako.com