Finite Element Simulation of

Tightening Process of Bolted Joint

T. Fukuoka
Associate Professor,
Department of Marine Engineering,
Kobe University of Mercantile Marine,
Kobe, Japan
With a Tensioner
In tightening structural members with bolts or studs, hydraulic bolt tensioners are
frequently used in the case where the clamping force must be controlled with high
accuracy. The most important factor in the operation is the ratio of desired clamping
force to initial tension applied by a hydraulic tensioner, which is termed "effective
tensile coefficient'' here. In this paper, a numerical approach of the tightening process
is proposed using the finite element method, which can deal with axisymmetric
elastic contact problems. The amounts of the coefficient are estimated for various
design factors such as grip length, nominal diameter of screw thread, and coefficients
of friction on contact surfaces.

1 Introduction
A screw thread is one of the most widely used fixing elements length, nominal diameter of screw thread and coefficients of
in tightening structural members. Tightening operation of friction on contact surfaces.
bolted-joint is performed, in general, by applying torque to
nut. The stresses occurred in the process have been analyzed 2 Numerical Analysis
in the previous paper [1] using three-dimensional FEM which
can deal with elastic contact problem, considering the effects 2.1 Tightening Process of Bolted Joint With a Ten-
of friction on the pressure flank and the load-bearing surface sioner. The size and configuration of a tensioner vary in a
of nut. However, a torque method has a lot of uncertainty in wide range according to the nominal diameter of bolt to be
the relationship between applied torque and desired clamping tightened and the geometry of joint. Since its operation is
force, since values of friction coefficient fairly change ac- basically identical for various types of tensioners, the tight-
cording to the surface conditions and the way of tightening. ening procedure is explained in terms of a typical hydraulic
Consequently, hydraulic bolt tensioners are frequently used in tensioner with simple configuration illustrated in Fig. 1. A
tightening bolts whose clamping force must be controlled with tensioner is usually composed of three main parts, i.e., a grip
high accuracy. The tightening operation with a tensioner is nut, a piston, and a cylinder. The tightening operation is per-
independent of circumferential friction coefficients, which lead formed following five steps:
to uncertainties in bolt tension. So, the method is commonly
used in tightening critical structural members of nuclear and
chemical plants and large-sized internal combustion engines,
etc. In the actual operation with a tensioner, the ratio of desired
clamping force to initially applied tension, which is termed
' 'effective tensile coefficient'' here, must be precisely predicted SSI
in advance for given joint configurations. Accurate estimations Pressure
of the coefficient are not easily accomplished, and so the
amounts of the coefficient are generally obtained with exper-
Cylinder
imental work [2]. It is desired to establish the numerical method
for estimating the coefficient because such experiments are
needed for each joint configuration. In this paper, a numerical
approach of the tightening process with a tensioner is proposed Grip
Length Lf
using axisymmetric FEM, which can deal with elastic contact
problems, and the amounts of "effective tensile coefficient"
are calculated precisely for various design factors such as grip Fastened
Plate

Contributed by the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division for publication in

the JOURNAL OF PRESSURE VESSEL TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received by the PVP
Division, February 13, 1992; revised manuscript received August 31, 1992. As-
sociate Technical Editor: S. Mirza. Fig. 1 Hydraulic tensioner

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology NOVEMBER 1992, Vol. 114 / 433

Copyright © 1992 by ASME

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 Step 1. A nut is attached to a bolt before a tensioner is Uniform Axial Displacement
mounted.
Step 2. A grip nut is screwed into far end threads of bolt to
hold it. L
Step 3. Hydraulic fluid under pressure is pumped into the ~lij
tensioner through the cylinder, extending the piston and lifting
the grip nut. Then the bolt is stretched and initial tension F,
is produced in the body of bolt.
Ski
Step 4. The nut is run down onto the surface of fastened
plate.
Step 5. The hydraulic pressure is released. Now, the bolt
h.
777777777

tension is decreased from initial tension Ft to clamping force

Ff due to the deformation of joint occurring around the load (a) (b) (c)
bearing surface of nut. Fig. 2 Analytical principle

It is noticed from the foregoing procedure that the tightening

Uniform Axial Displacement
process with a tensioner is not influenced by the circumferential
friction coefficients on contact surfaces, as stated in Section
1. This is the intent of a hydraulic tensioner and the essential
advantage over a torque method. It is said that with properly
mounted bolt tensioner, the clamping force could be controlled
within several percent error.
2.2 Analytical Approach of Tightening Process. Among
five steps of tightening process mentioned in the previous sec-
tion, Steps 3 and 5 are to be solved to simulate the tightening
process. In this paper, those two steps are solved separately
and the whole process is evaluated by superposing the results L-Jigr
of initial tension Ft in Step 3 and clamping force Ff in Step 5. L—lj§ 't
In order to simplify the analysis, the fastened plate is assumed
(a) (b) (c)
to be one thick plate. Therefore, the initial stretching process
reduces to a 2-body (bolt and plate) contact problem (contact Fig. 3 Boited-joint model
surface: bearing surface of bolt head), and the tightening
process leads to a 3-body (bolt, nut, and plate) contact problem
(contact surfaces: pressure flank of screw thread and bearing initial stretching process. The axial displacement of the upper
surfaces of bolt head and nut). Figure 2 illustrates the principle surface of fastened plate, which would be in contact with the
of analysis using a simple structure. Two objects shown in the base of tensioner, is assumed to be constrained. In Fig. 3(c),
figure implies bolt and nut. In the initial condition before the tightening process is completed and the clamping force Ff
stretching, it is assumed that initial discrepancy 5 exists on is retained. The clamping force is calculated by applying initial
each would-be contact surface (Fig. 2(a)). Then, an axial uni- discrepancy 8 on each pressure flank, as shown in Fig. 3(a).
form displacement v, is applied at the end surface of bolt thread Infinitesimal strain theory is adopted here and the tensioner
so that the axial displacement of its lowest would-be contact is assumed to be a rigid body. The ratio of initial tension F,
surface becomes 8. Now, the initial tension produced in the to clamping force Ff, which is termed "effective tensile coef-
bolt is supposed to be F, (Fig. 2(b)). The clamping force Ff ficient," is the most important factor in the actual tightening
retained in the bolt after releasing hydraulic pressure can be operation.
obtained by applying initial discrepancy 8 on each contact
surface under the boundary conditions shown in Fig. 2(a). y=F//Fl (1)
Figure 2(c) illustrates the engagement after the completion of The coefficient y is used to estimate the required initial
tightening process. Figure 3 shows the actual analytical model tension for the desired clamping force. It is sometimes defined
composed of bolt, nut, and plate. Each step would be easily in different ways such as "pre-tension coefficient" using its
understood with reference to Fig. 2. Figure 3(b) indicates the inverse, "amount of overtension," etc.

Nomenclature

[Kfci], [Kcl/], [Kcl , etc. = matrices relevant to contact

Ab = cross-sectional area of body of conditions
bolt Lf = grip length
Abr = cross-sectional area at bolt Q = nodal force
thread root R = contact force
Af = base area of tensioner u = displacement of node
Au = cross-sectional area subjected to V, = axially applied uniform
tension displacement
b, n,f = subscripts for bolt, nut and 7> 7 = effective tensile coefficients
fastened plate ^2, 63 = initial discrepancies
d = nominal diameter of bolt ac = maximum compressive stress of
F, = initial tension fastened plate
Ff = clamping force a
n = mean tensile stress of the body
[Kb], [K„], [Kf] = stiffness matrices of bolt

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 2.3 Numerical Analysis of Contact Problem. Analytical
approach for contact problem adopted in this paper is based
on the method proposed by Okamoto and Nakazawa [3]. Since
the method has been originally intended for contacting two
bodies with one contact surface, it is extended to be appropriate
for the problem treated here. In the previous papers [1, 4, 5],
some problems on the mechanical behaviors of screw threads
had been solved by applying the method in the improved form.
Using the method, geometrical and mechanical boundary con-
ditions on contact surfaces can be treated as subsidiary con-
ditions independently of stiffness matrices of bolt, nut, and
plate. Consequently, the numerical analyses can be executed
very effectively because iterative calculations are needed only
for the matrices concerning contact conditions. As explained
in Section 2.2, the whole tightening process can be simulated
by analyzing Steps 3 and 5. Since the initial stretching process
of Step 3 reduces to 2-body with 1-contact surface problem
and the detailed discussions of its analytical method is provided
in reference [4], the analytical procedure for 3-body with 3-
contact surface problem is presented here, corresponding to
Step 5. Three contact surfaces exist such as bearing surfaces Fig. 4 Finite element mesh (M24 L,ld
of bolt head and nut and pressure flank of screw thread. Each
contact surface is designated Nos. 1, 2, and 3 contact surface.
Subscripts b, n and / a r e used for the terms relevant to bolt,
nut and fastened plate, respectively. Displacement of node, Table 1 Model specifications
equivalent nodal force for the surface force and the contact
force are expressed by u, Q, and R, respectively. The simul- L f 16 2 4 6 8 10 12
taneous equation to be solved is given in the following form Node 582 696 810 924 1038 1152
by incorporating the aforementioned subsidiary conditions into M24
the stiffness equation of each elastic body. Element 907 1099 1291 1483 1675 1867
Node 622 —_
M36 977 — . — —
0 r Element
Kf KfC\ 0 K
fc2 0 u
f
0 Kb 0 0 Node 817 1001 1185
Kbc\ Kbd ub M64
K
cXf Kc\b Kci 0 0 0 Rx Element 1319 1639 1959 —_
0 0 0 Kn Kmi Knci un
Kaf 0 0 Kc2n KC2 0 Ri
0 Kclb 0 Kcin 0 KC3 R3 2.4 Numerical Models. A triangular ring element of con-
stant strain is used, because it is suitable for modeling structures
with complex configuration and its linearity makes the judg-
'Or' ment of contact conditions easy. Analytical objects are bolts
Qb with coarse screw threads of M24, M36 and M64, considering
«i
(2) that a hydraulic tensioner is usually used for bolts of nominal
Qn diameter more than one inch. Each model has 10, 11 and 12
h threads, and the numbers of engaged threads are assumed to
be 6, 7 and 8 from standard nut thickness. The ratio of grip
53 length L/to nominal diameter d is varied from 2 to 12. Figure
J
4 shows an example of finite element mesh, which represents
M24 of Lf/d = 2. Although the model is for Step 5, it is also
In Eq. (2), [Kb\, [Kn] and [Kf] are all symmetric stiffness used for Step 3 by removing the nut model. For FEM models
matrices for bolt, nut, and fastened plate as in the case of an with different grip length, some elements are added to the body
ordinary one-body FEM model, because they are constructed of bolt and the central part of fastened plate in accordance
independently of contact conditions. Other matrices related to with grip length. The outer diameter of fastened plate in each
contact conditions in Eq. (2) are not symmetric, in which model is about eight times the nominal diameter. Specifications
subscripts 1, 2 and 3 denote each contact surface. 5,, 52 and of FEM models are given in Table 1. In all numerical calcu-
<53 are initial discrepancies of each contact surface. Matrices lations, modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio of bolt, nut
located in the upper half-triangle such as [Kfc{\, [Knc2], etc., and fastened plate are supposed to be 200 GPa and 0.3. Shear
are concerned with mechanical boundary conditions at contact stresses on each contact surface are assumed to be subject to
surfaces, and other matrices relating to contact conditions are Coulomb's law of friction. It is postulated that coefficients of
for geometrical boundary conditions. 5{ and <52 are set to be friction n in the radial direction at bearing surfaces of bolt
0, and the amount of 83 is determined in the same manner for head and nut and the pressure flank of screw thread are iden-
5 in Figs. 3. Both [Kb] and [K„] are singular matrices, because tical, ranging from 0 to 0.4. Unless stated, the amount of n
stiff motions in the axial direction of bolt and nut are not is set to be 0.
constrained. To avoid these singularities involved, matrix com-
ponents concerning the last node number in [Kb] and [K„] are,
respectively, swapped with neighboring components. As iter- 3 Numerical Results
ative calculations to determine the contact conditions are con- 3.1 Validity of Analytical Model. The purpose in this
ducted only for the matrices concerning contact conditions paper is not an evaluation of the magnitude of stress concen-
located in the upper half of global matrix in Eq. (2), numerical tration at thread root, but an accurate estimation of the "ef-
work can be performed very effectively. fective tensile coefficient." Therefore, finite element

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 - M24
30-
- M24 (fine mesh)

v_
- M36
•o
re ^\ a
o
20-
c
(3

O 10 -
O
ra
rx
0- , __— , ..,— , - \ — • — i — > —
2 4 6 10
Thread No. Fig. 6 Effects of the base area of tensioner tji = 0)
Fig. 5 Ratio of flank loads (n = 0)

1.0
Table 2 Effects of the size of area subjected to axial tension (M24 L, I Upper Limit
d = 2)

Au/Abr 1 0.3563 0 o
o
Y 0.7150 0.7151 0.7156

01

simulations are carried out using rather coarse mesh as shown

in Fig. 4. Load distributions along the threads obtained in Step
5 are depicted in Fig. 5, where they are represented by ratio
of flank loads. The result for M24 is compared to that by more
fine mesh [5]. Since the curves for M24 and M24 (fine mesh)
are so closely in agreement, they cannot be distinguished. The
ratio of flank loads obtained here agrees well with the previous
result, which confirms the accuracy of axial tension obtained
here. Next, boundary conditions for the initial stretching proc-
ess are discussed. The initial stretching force in Step 3 is applied
as an axial uniform displacement over the whole cross section
at the end of bolt thread. However, it is usually given to the
end threads of bolt through the grip nut in actual tightening
operations, as shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, the validity of
analytical model adopted here must be considered in connec-
tion with the difference in boundary conditions between actual
operation and analytical model. The size of area subjected to
uniform displacement is changed to estimate how the boundary
conditions of analytical model affect on the "effective tensile
coefficient.'' Table 2 shows the relations between 7 so obtained
and the size of area, in which Abr and Au represent the area
of cross section at the bolt thread root and the area subjected
to uniform axial tension. Therefore, Au/Abr = 0 corresponds
to the case of applying concentrated force at the center of axis.
It is observed from Table 2 that the magnitude of 7 is scarcely
influenced by the size of area. Consequently, the boundary
conditions for Step 3 in the analytical model could be regarded
suitable.
3.2 Effects of the Base Area of Tensioner. Effects of the
base area of tensioner on 7 are discussed in this section. The
results are shown in Fig. 6, in which Af is the base area of
tensioner and Ab is the cross-sectional area of the body of bolt.
When Af is varied, only the outer diameter of tensioner is
changed with its inner diameter being equal to the outer di-
ameter of nut. ac represents the maximum compressive stress
of fastened plate occurred at the base of tensioner and a„ is
the mean tensile stress of the body of bolt. When the wall
thickness of tensioner is decreased, which means small value
of Af, the amount of 7 increases. It is favorable to obtain a
larger clamping force Fj from the same amount of F,. It is not
Fig. 7 Effects of grip length (/« = 0)
desirable, however, from the fact that ac shows fairly large
value. From the foregoing considerations and the usual size
of tensioners, the following analyses are conducted under the
condition of Af/Ab = 2.
3.3 Effects of Grip Length. It is generally accepted that
a grip length has predominant effects on 7. Figure 7 shows
the relations between 7 and grip length Lf which is normalized
with respect to nominal diameter of bolt d. The figure suggests
that nominal diameter has minor effects, since remarkable
differences cannot be observed between the results for M24
and those for M64. Two curved lines represent an example of
guideline for upper and lower limits of 7 under ordinary surface
conditions provided by a tensioner manufacturer in Japan,
whose values are cited from reference [2]. The numerical results
obtained here are almost located at the middle of the two limit
lines. The amount of 7 increases as grip length is increased
and approaches unity asymptotically. It is evident from the
foregoing that great attention should be paid in determining
the initial tension F, in case of short grip length because 7
varies remarkably in the range of small L//d.
, 3.4 Effects of Friction on Contact Surfaces. It is well
known that the relations between applied torque and clamping
force obtained are not always identical when tightening bolts
with torque. It is because coefficients of friction vary widely
according to the surface conditions. The coefficients of friction
stated in the foregoing are in the helical direction on the pres-
sure flank of screw thread and in the circumferential directions
on bearing surfaces of bolt head and nut. It is an inherent
advantage of hydraulic tensioners that the tightening process
is not affected by those coefficients of friction. There exists

436 / Vol. 114, NOVEMBER 1992 Transactions of the ASME

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 L,/d=2
L f tt=4

L ( /d=8

0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40

Fig. 8 Effects of friction (M24)

>- 0.85
M24
M36
M64
o
o
0.75 (a) Initial stretching process (b) Completion of tightening
( F t = 14 kN ) ( F f = 10 kN )

Fig. 10 Deformation pattern (M24, p. = 0)

0.65
—,—
0.00 0.20 0.30 0.40
0.10

Fig. 9 Effects of friction (L, 16 = 2)

another coefficient of friction ft in the radial direction ex-

plained in Section 2.4. Since contacting bodies slip each other > 0.7
in the radial direction even in the tightening process with hy-
draulic tensioners, the effects of p on y must be investigated.
The relations between 7 and ix are plotted in Fig. 8, in which
the amount of ft on each contact surface is assumed to be 12 14
equal. The magnitude of 7 slightly increases with increase of L f /d
(i. It is recommended to determine the initial tension F, with
Fig. 11 Effective tensile coefficient y' (^ = 0)
7 in case of ft = 0, because the rubbing on each contact surface
tends to decrease the clamping force Ff in the service environ-
ment. The numerical results for M24, M36 and M64 are shown
in Fig. 9. The figure implies that the relations between 7 and
li are almost independent of nominal diameter. It is therefore 4 Discussions
concluded that, in the actual operation, the initial tension F,
for bolts of different nominal diameter could be determined In the foregoing analyses, the "effective tensile coefficient"
using the value of 7 given in Fig. 7. is evaluated without considering the effects of deformation of
fastened plate around bolt hole which occurred in the initial
stretching process. In Fig. 11, another "effective tensile coef-
ficient' ' 7' estimated by taking the effects of deformation into
3.5 Deformation Patterns. Figures 10(a) and (b) illus- account is compared to 7. It is shown that 7 ' is slightly different
trate deformation patterns of M24 in the initial stretching from 7 in the small range of L//d. That is because the amount
process and after the completion of tightening, together with of deformation there is small enough as observed in Fig. 10(a).
the deformation scale. As 7 = 0.7150 in this case and the The use of 7 instead of 7' seems acceptable because of the
clamping force iy is intended to be 10 kN, the initial tension close agreement between y' and 7 in the practical range. Ac-
F, is about 14 kN. The deformation pattern in Fig. 10(fo) is cordingly, it is again recommended to use 7 shown in Fig. 7
depicted by cutting a part of the bolt body, because the initial in the actual tightening operation with hydraulic tensioners
discrepancies applied on each pressure flank of thread cause except clamping extremely thin plates.
apparently mismatching of mating contact nodes. To avoid
this contradiction, the amount of initial discrepancy in the
axial direction is added to each axial displacement of node 5 Conclusions
located in the upper half of bolt model. It is recognized from 1 The finite element simulation technique is proposed for
Fig. 10(6) that the stiffness of thread engagement is somewhat analyzing the tightening process of bolted-joint with hydraulic
lower than that of bolt head region. tensioner.

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 2 The "effective tensile coefficient," which is the ratio of
desired clamping force to initial tension, is evaluated for var-
ious design factors and it correlates closely with experimental
data provided by a tensioner manufacturer.
3 The "effective tensile coefficient" is scarcely affected by
nominal diameter of screw thread, and it is primarily influenced
only by grip length, i.e., the total thickness of clamped plates.
4 The "effective tensile coefficient" y increases slightly as
coefficients of friction fi in the radial direction on contact
surfaces are increased. The use of-y in case of/« = Ois favorable
to properly achieve a clamped force desired.
Although the analytical object in this paper is a through
bolt, the finite element simulation technique could be applied
to fixing elements with more complex configuration and to the
case of considering the influences of stiffness of contact sur-
faces.
References
1 Fukuoka, T., et al., " A Stress Analysis of Threaded Portions in Fastening,''
Bulletin JSME, Vol. 28, No. 244, 1985, pp. 2247-2253.
2 Fabry, C. W., "Hydraulisches Schraubenanziehen an Reaktordekeln,"
Konstruktion, Vol. 23, No. 1, 1971, pp. 13-19.
3 Okamoto, N., and Nakazawa, M., "Finite Element Incremental Contact
Analysis with Various Frictional Conditions," International Journal of Nu-
merical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 14, 1979, pp. 337-357.
4 Fukuoka, T., et al., "Ratio of Flank Loads of Screw Threads in Hollow-
Bolt," Bulletin JSME, Vol. 29, No. 247, 1986, pp. 265-272.
5 Fukuoka, T., et al., "Stress Concentration at the Root of a Screw Thread,"
Trans, of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (in Japanese), Vol. 52,
No. 481, 1986, pp. 2201-2208.

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