Toshimichi Fukuoka

e-mail: fukuoka@maritime.kobe-u.ac.jp

Masataka Nomura
e-mail: nomura@maritime.kobe-u.ac.jp
Graduate School of Maritime Sciences,
Kobe University,
Fukaeminami 5-1-1, Higashinada,
Kobe, Hyogo, 658-0022, Japan

Takashi Fuchikami
Kobe University,
Fukaeminami 5-1-1, Higashinada,
Kobe, Hyogo, 658-0022, Japan
e-mail: 081w523w@stu.kobe-u.ac.jp

Finite Element Analysis

of the Cyclic Stress Amplitude
of Threaded Fasteners Using
Helical Thread Models
Fatigue failures of bolted joints frequently lead to serious accidents in machines and structures. It is well known that fatigue failure is likely to occur around the first thread root of the
bolt adjacent to the nut loaded surface and the run-out of bolt thread. That is because high
stress amplitudes are generated there due to alternating external forces. Accordingly, it is
significantly important to evaluate the stress amplitudes along the thread root in order to rigorously examine the fatigue failure mechanism of bolted joints. In this study, stress amplitude
distributions along the thread helix including the thread run-out are analyzed by threedimensional finite element analysis. The numerical models of the bolted joints are constructed
so as to accurately represent the effect of thread helical geometry, using the modeling scheme
proposed in the previous study which analyzed the stress concentrations at the thread root.
The analytical objectives are bolted joints with axisymmetric geometry except for the helicalshaped threaded portions that are subjected to axisymmetric external forces. It has been substantiated, based on the stress amplitude distributions along the thread helix, which the fatigue failures are likely to originate from the first bolt thread, as in the case of the maximum
stress, and the run-out of threads. It has also been shown that a bolt with reduced diameter is
effective for the purpose of lowering the stress amplitude at the first thread root of bolt.
[DOI: 10.1115/1.4004559]

Introduction

Threaded fasteners are the most widely used machine elements

to clamp structural members and machine parts. A fatigue failure
of one threaded fastener often causes a serious problem and may
lead to a catastrophic failure of the whole structure. It is recognized that the fatigue failure of threaded fasteners is primarily
caused by the reduction of bolt preloads owing to nut rotation or
embedment at the plate interface, etc. It has also been reported
that the rupture of threaded fasteners generally occurs around the
first thread root of a bolt adjacent to the nut loaded surface [1]. In
the previous study [2], the helical thread geometry has successfully been modeled by three-dimensional finite element method
(FEM), and it has been shown that the maximum stress of bolted
joint occurs in the bolt thread root at half a pitch from the nut
loaded surface. Regarding the fatigue strength of bolted joints, it
is commonly evaluated in terms of the mean stress amplitude
exerted on the engaged thread portion, which is calculated using
the bolt preload variation caused by external forces. However,
very few studies have treated its fatigue strength by analyzing the
distribution of stress amplitudes along the thread helix.
In this study, the stress amplitude distributions along the thread
helix including the thread run-out are analyzed by threedimensional finite element analysis, using numerical models of
bolted joints with accurate helical thread geometry. Then, the relationship between the stress amplitude and the location of fatigue
failure occurrence is discussed, aiming to provide fundamental
data to examine the fatigue failure mechanism of bolted joints.
The effectiveness of the conventional evaluation method for fatigue strength is investigated by comparing the maximum stress
amplitude generated at bolt thread root to the mean stress amplitude evaluated in the engaged thread portion. As a result of paraContributed by the Pressure Vessel and Piping Division of ASME for publication
in the JOURNAL OF PRESSURE VESSEL TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received September 10,
2009; final manuscript received May 26, 2011; published online October 3, 2011.
Editor: G. E. Otto Widera.

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

metric calculations, it has been clarified that the location at which

the maximum stress amplitude occurs varies depending on the
magnitude of the contact length at the plate interface. As the plate
interface goes out of contact, the peak of the maximum stress amplitude appears more distinctively around the first thread root
where the maximum stress occurs in the initial clamping state.
Also shown is that stress amplitudes as high as those in the first
thread root are generated around the thread run-out, as the loading
position is away from the bolt axis. Finally, the effect of a bolt
with reduced diameter is discussed with respect to the reduction in
stress amplitude.

2 Evaluation of Stress Amplitude Using Helical

Thread FE Model
2.1 Numerical Models. Bolted joints with a variety of geometric configurations are used under various loading conditions,
corresponding to the joint objectives. To evaluate the fatigue
strength of the target structure in detail, it is necessary to construct
a numerical model for each bolted joint. At the same time, it is
desired to conduct a parametric study using numerical models
with simple geometry under simple loading conditions, for clarifying the fundamental and common fatigue characteristics of
bolted joints. To achieve this purpose, the geometry selected here
is two hollow cylinders clamped by a single bolt, which is subjected to an axisymmetric annular tensile force. Figure 1 represents the boundary and loading conditions in the numerical
analyses. If the thread geometry is axisymmetric, the numerical
analyses for the conditions stated above can be carried out using
axisymmetricmodels. The objective of this study is to clarify the
effect of the inherent nonsymmetric mechanical behavior caused
by the helical thread geometry. The numerical calculations are
axisymmetric except for the helical-shaped threads. The contact
length designated in Fig. 1 represents the area under compression
force by the bolt preload. The ratio of the contact length under

C 2011 by ASME
Copyright V

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Fig. 1 Geometry of modeled bolted joint and its boundary and

loading conditions

external force to the initial contact length, c, is defined as contact

fraction at the plate interface. The relationship between the stress
amplitude at the thread root and c is discussed in Sec. 3.2.
The target bolted joint consists of two hollow cylinders
clamped by a single M16  2 bolt. The thread pitch p is 2 mm.
The thickness of each plate is 24 mm and its outer and inner diameters are 128 mm and 17.5 mm, respectively. The bottom surface
of the lower plate is constrained in the axial direction along its
outer diameter. Also, four nodal points, located 90 deg apart from
one another, are constrained in the circumferential direction.
Figure 2 shows the finite element (FE) model of the target bolted
joint, which has 90,216 elements and 99,524 nodes. Eight-node
brick elements are used. Helical thread portions are constructed in
the same manner as in the previous study [2]. The model reflects
that the thread cross section is identical at any position along bolt
axis. Therefore, a one-pitch helical thread can be modeled independently. As a result, small elements can be concentrated around
the thread root, where high stress concentration is predicted. The
modeling scheme provides more accurate helical thread models
than those used in the previous studies dealing with the thread helix geometry in different ways [37].
2.2 Loads and Material Properties. The initial bolt force
Fb is generated by applying an initial discrepancy at the interface
composed of the nut loaded surface and the upper plate. The magnitude of Fb is varied as 20.1 kN, 40.2 kN, and 60.3 kN, corresponding to nominal axial bolt stresses of 100 MPa, 200 MPa, and
300 MPa. The external force W is applied as an axisymmetric annular tensile force, and the magnitudes of W are selected to be
higher or lower than the initial bolt force Fb. The radii of the loading circles of external force W are chosen as 16 mm, 32 mm, and
64 mm, where r 16 mm is on the plate surface just next to the
nut outer surface. All materials are assumed to be linearly elastic
as in the case of the previous study [2]. Youngs modulus and
Poissons ratio of the joint materials are set to be 200 GPa and
0.3. The coefficient of friction is assumed to be 0.15 at all contact
surfaces.
061201-2 / Vol. 133, DECEMBER 2011

Fig. 2 Finite element model of bolted joint with accurate helical thread geometry

Fig. 3

Mises stress distributions along bolt thread root

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Fig. 4 Distributions of axial stress and stress amplitude along

bolt thread root

Numerical Results

3.1 Stress Amplitude Along Thread Root. Figure 3 represents Mises stress distributions along the bolt thread root at the
completion of bolt tightening [2], where l is the coefficient of
friction at contact surfaces. The von Mises stress at the thread root
req is normalized with respect to the nominal bolt stress rb of 100
MPa. The abscissa shows the distance from the nut loaded surface.
Maximum stress occurs, with a fairly sharp peak, at half a pitch
from nut loaded surface toward the nut top surface. When subjected to external forces, six stress components may affect the fatigue strength of bolted joints in a complex manner. However, it is
considered that axial stress rz has a dominant effect. In Fig. 4(a),
the distributions of axial stress rz along bolt thread root in the initial clamping state are compared with those under external forces
W. Initial bolt stress rb is 100 MPa. An external force of W 33.5
kN is applied, which is larger than the initial bolt force Fb. Figure
Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

Fig. 5 Stress amplitudes along bolt thread root before complete separation of plate interface

4(b) shows the stress amplitude distributions along the bolt thread
root, which are calculated by dividing the difference of the two
values of rz in Fig. 4(a) by 2. In this case, the interface between
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amplitudes ra occur around the first bolt thread and the thread
run-out, regardless of the magnitude of external force W. With
increase of W, the distribution pattern of ra approaches the one
shown in Fig. 4(b), in which the contact at the plate interface is
lost completely. As the radius of the loading circle r increases
from 16 mm to 32 mm and 64 mm, high stress amplitudes are also
produced in the locations other than the first thread and the thread
run-out. The reason why the negative values of ra appear in the
figure is that the magnitude of stress amplitude is calculated by
simply subtracting the axial stress rz in the initial clamping state
from the one when subjected to the external force W. Although
the separation at the plate interface progresses with increasing
external force, no significant difference in c is observed for varying loading positions expressed by r, except for the case of
W 6.7 kN. Figures 6(a) and 6(b) represent the numerical results
for the cases of r 16 mm and 64 mm, in which the magnitudes
of the external force W are sufficiently large to cause complete
separation at the plate interface. The distribution patterns are similar to those in Fig. 4(b), showing two distinct peaks. It should be

Fig. 6 Stress amplitudes along bolt thread root after complete

separation of plate interface

the two hollow cylinders is completely separated. It is found from

the figure that when the plate interface is out of contact, the stress
amplitude shows a similar distribution pattern as that due to the
bolt preload as shown in Fig. 3. The peak of the stress amplitude
appears at half a pitch away from nut loaded surface, and another
peak is observed around the thread run-out.
3.2 Effects of External Force and Loading Position. In
Figs. 5(a)5(c), the distributions of the stress amplitude ra along
thread root are depicted, where the initial bolt stress rb is 100
MPa and the radii of loading circles r are changed as 16 mm, 32
mm, and 64 mm. The maximum value of external force W is set to
be 20.1 kN that is, equal to the bolt preload Fb. Under the conditions in the figures, the plate interface is still almost or partly in
contact. In the figures, c represents contact fraction at plate interface, explained in Sec. 2.1. As the external force W is increased,
the contact fraction c decreases in all cases of Figs. 5(a)5(c). In
the case of r 16 mm, shown in Fig. 5(a), relatively large stress
061201-4 / Vol. 133, DECEMBER 2011

Fig. 7

Effect of initial bolt stress on stress amplitudes

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emphasized that much larger stress amplitudes are generated compared with the cases of Figs. 5(a) and 5(b), which means that the
fatigue failure of bolted joints is most likely to occur around the
first bolt thread or the thread run-out when complete plate separation occurs. In the following, the effects of the magnitude and
loading position of the external force W are summarized:
(1) The stress amplitudes along the thread root distribute in a similar manner as in the case of thread root stress, when the loading position of external force is near the bolt axis, or the plate
interface starts to lose contact due to large external forces and
approaches the condition of complete separation.
(2) When the plate interface is still partly in contact and the
loading position of external force is away from the bolt
axis, large stress amplitudes are found in various locations
besides at the first thread or the thread run-out, due to the
effect of plate bending.
3.3 Evaluation of Stress Amplitude Based on the Variations of Thread Root Stress and Bolt Force. The conventional
method for evaluating the fatigue strength of bolted joints usually
employs the stress amplitude calculated by the increase of bolt preload DFb that occurs due to the external forces. In this study, the
mean stress amplitude in engaged threads, ram , is defined by dividing
DFb=2 by the stress area specified in Japan Industrial Standard,
where the diameter of stress area ds is expressed as ds d 0.9382 p
in terms of bolt nominal diameter d and thread pitch p. Figures 7(a)
and 7(b) depict the effects of initial bolt stress rb on the stress amplitudes at the first thread root, rath , and the thread run-out and the mean
stress amplitude ram , in which the loading position r is 16 mm and
the external force W is taken as 20.1 kN and 40.2 kN. The stress
amplitudes besides ram are calculated by means of rz. In all cases,
stress amplitudes decrease as initial bolt stress is increased. In Fig.
7(b), however, very high stress amplitudes are observed in the case
of rb 100 MPa, where the plate interface loses contact completely.
In Fig. 8, it is shown how the stress amplitudes increase with increasing the external force W. The abscissa represents the dimensionless
ratio of external force to initial bolt force, W=Fb. The loading position r is 32 mm and the initial bolt stress rb is 100 MPa. It is
observed that the stress amplitudes sharply increase beyond
W=Fb 1, where the plate interface almost gets into the condition of
complete separation. Figures 9(a) and 9(b) illustrates the effect of
external force W on the ratio of rath to ram for the loading positions of
r 16 mm and 32 mm. The amounts of rath =ram are necessarily larger
than unity. In the cases of the plate interface being completely out of

Fig. 8

Effect of external force on stress amplitudes

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

contact, due to large external force W, rath =ram approaches about 4.4,
which is about the same as the stress concentration factor there. Until
complete separation is reached, the amount of rath =ram varies in a
complex manner with increasing W, and extremely high values
appear in the range of small W. The reason is that rath and ram are
both small when W is small, and then the ratio of rath to ram possibly
shows a very high value. Because of the small stress amplitude, it is
not a critical issue for the fatigue strength of actual structures.
3.4 Variations of Stress Amplitude From Bolt Axis Toward Thread Root. Figure 10 illustrates how the stress amplitude
varies in the radial direction from the bolt axis toward the thread
root, for the case of initial bolt stress rb 100 MPa, loading position
r 16 mm and external force W 20.1 kN. Curves in the figure correspond to different distances from nut loaded surface. The maximum stress amplitude occurs at the bolt thread root, designated as
0.5 p, which is half a pitch from the nut loaded surface. High stress
amplitudes are also produced at 0.25 p and 0.75 p. In all cases, the

Fig. 9 Ratio of stress amplitude at first threat root to mean

stress amplitude in engaged threads

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stress amplitude shows a rapid increase in the vicinity of the thread

root. Referring to the results for 1.5 p and 2.5 p, the further away the
thread root position is from the nut loaded surface, the lower are both
the stress amplitude and its variation rate in the radial direction. It
can therefore be concluded that the stress amplitude has a sharp peak
in the radial direction in the case of the thread root being subjected to
a high stress amplitude.
3.5 Stress Amplitude Along Thread Root for Bolts With
Reduced Diameter. Bolts with reduced diameter, called slender
bolt here, are sometimes used to enhance the fatigue strength of
bolted joints. A slender bolt is favorably used for bolted joints
subjected to a large bending moment, because of its low bending
stiffness compared with an ordinary bolt. In this study, external
forces are applied axisymmetrically in order to compare the stress
amplitudes of slender bolts to those of ordinary ones. Modifying
the numerical model shown in Fig. 2, the FE model for slender
bolt is constructed, whose cylinder diameter is equal to the minor
diameter of an M16 thread. Figure 11(a) shows the configuration
of the slender bolt model. The bolt preload Fb is set to be 20.1 kN
corresponding to initial bolt stress of rb 100 MPa, which generates a mean bolt stress of 134 MPa in the cylindrical portion of
the slender bolt. The loading radius r is 16 mm. In Figs. 11(b) and
11(c), stress amplitude distributions along the thread helix are
compared for the cases of the plate interface being partly in contact and completely out of contact. Numerical results for ordinary
bolts are also shown with thin solid lines. It is found from Fig.
11(b) that the stress amplitudes around the first thread decrease
compared to the case of ordinary bolts and the distinct peak at the
thread run-out disappears. In the case of complete separation of
the plate interface, shown in Fig. 11(c), the stress amplitude is
reduced only at the thread run-out. It follows from the foregoing
results that slender bolts are effectively used to lower the stress
amplitude as long as the plate interface remains in contact even
under large external forces. In order to examine the effect of slender bolts in more detail, it might be necessary to conduct numerical analyses for structures subjected to large bending moments.

Discussions

In the foregoing sections, stress amplitudes are evaluated by

means of the variations of axial stress rz. The axial stress rz along
the thread root shows a distinctive distribution pattern, both in the
initial clamping state and under external forces. That is, the values
of rz are negative around the top thread, as shown in Fig. 4(a). It

Fig. 11 Stress amplitudes along bolt thread root for bolts with
reduced shank diameter

Fig. 10 Stress amplitude distributions in radial direction from

bolt axis toward thread root

061201-6 / Vol. 133, DECEMBER 2011

has already been explained in the previous paper [2] that the specific distribution pattern of rz generates the second peak of Mises
stress, shown in Fig. 3. This specific phenomenon can be
explained by focusing the attention on the contact condition
between bolt and nut threads around the nut top surface. When the
axial coordinate of the bolt thread root, which is measured from
the nut loaded surface, increases along the helix and reaches 9
mm, i.e., half a pitch below the nut top surface, the mating threads
of bolt and nut suddenly loses the contact. This separation changes
the sign of axial stress at the bolt thread root from tension to compression, since the bolt thread is no longer subjected to bending
moment caused by the contact pressure between bolt and nut
threads. In order to examine the phenomenon in detail, contours
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(1) The peak of the stress amplitude along the thread helix is
likely to occur at half a pitch from the nut loaded surface,
and this tendency is more noticeable as the separation area
of the plate interface expands radially inward due to large
external forces.
(2) Large stress amplitudes are also generated at the thread
run-out as the loading position of external force moves
away from the bolt axis, which explains that the fatigue
failure around thread run-out is sometimes observed to
occur in actual structures though more rarely than at the
first thread root.
(3) It has been demonstrated that bolts with reduced diameter
are effective in lowering the maximum stress amplitude
around the first thread root, as long as the plate interface
remains in contact.
(4) The stress amplitude generated at the first thread root is
several times larger than the mean stress amplitude exerted
on the engaged thread portion. The ratio of the two amplitudes approaches a constant value as the plate interface
goes out of contact due to large external forces.
(5) The stress amplitude increases steeply in the radial direction from the bolt axis toward the thread root in the vicinity
of nut loaded surface where a high stress amplitude is
observed.

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Shunsuke Kaneda
(FUJITSU TEN TECHNOLOGY) for his contributions to the numerical works in this study.
Fig. 12 Axial stress distributions and deformation patterns
around engaged threads

of rz are represented in Figs. 12(a) and 12(b), in which the deformations of bolted joints are magnified by a factor of fifty. It is
observed that in both cases, the sign of rz changes from positive
to negative in the vicinity of the thread root around the top thread.
In the following, three-dimensional analyses using helical
thread models are compared to the corresponding axisymmetric
analyses from the standpoint of numerical calculations, when
applied to the stress and stress amplitude analyses. It has been
confirmed in the previous study [2] that using axisymmetric models, stress concentrations at the thread root can be analyzed within
acceptable accuracy. However, it is impossible to evaluate how
the stress concentration varies along the thread helix. On the other
hand, the three-dimensional analysis proposed here can show how
the thread root stress sharply varies along the helix. It can therefore explain the sensitivity of the location at which the failure
occurs due to high stress concentrations. Also, it can predict where
the fatigue failure due to alternating external loads is likely to
occur.

Conclusions

Stress amplitude distributions along the thread helix are analyzed for bolted joints with simple geometry under axisymmetric
external forces, by three-dimensional finite element analysis in the
elastic range using numerical models with accurate thread geometry. The numerical results, thus obtained could provide some valuable information, such as the location of the fatigue failure
occurrence, the relationship between the stress amplitude and the
separation of contact surface and the effect of bolts with reduced
diameter. The results are summarized in the following:

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

Nomenclature
d
ds
Fb
p.
r
W
DFb
c
l
ra
ram
rath
rb
req
rz

bolt nominal diameter

diameter of stress area
initial bolt force
thread pitch
radius of loading circle
external force
increase of bolt preload due to external force
contact fraction at plate interface
coefficient of friction
stress amplitude
mean stress amplitude in engaged threads
stress amplitude at first thread root
initial bolt stress (nominal bolt stress)
Mises stress at thread root
axial stress

References
[1] Bickford, J. H., 1995, An Introduction to the Design and Behavior of Bolted
Joints, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 565601.
[2] Fukuoka, T., and Nomura, M., 2008, Proposition of Helical Thread Modeling
With Accurate Geometry and Finite Element Analysis, ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 130(1), 011204.
[3] Chen, J., and Shih, Y., 1999, A Study of the Helical Effect on the Thread Connection by Three Dimensional Finite Element Analysis, Nucl. Eng. Des., 191,
pp. 109116.
[4] Bahai, H., and Esat, I. I., 1994, A Hybrid Model for Analysis of Complex Stress
Distribution in Threaded Connectors, Comput. Struct., 52(1), pp. 7993.
[5] Rhee, H. C., 1990, Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of Threaded
Joint, Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics
and Arctic Engineering, Vol. 3-Part A, pp. 293297.
[6] Zadoks, R. I., and Kokatam, D. P. R., 1999, Three-Dimensional Finite Element
Model of a Threaded Connection, Comput. Model. Simul. Eng., 4(4), pp.
274281.
[7] Zhang, M., and Jiang, Y., 2004, Finite Element Modeling of Self-Loosening of
Bolted Joints, ASME PVP-Vol. 478, pp. 1927.

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