ME3180

ME 3180 - Mechanical Engineering Design

Stresses in Threads
Lecture Notes

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ME3180

Stresses in Threads

When nut engages thread, theoretically all threads in engagement

should share load
In actuality, due to inaccuracies in thread spacing, first pair of threads
takes virtually all load
Conservative approach for calculating bolt stresses is to assume worst
case of one thread-pair taking entire load
Other extreme approach for calculating bolt stresses is to assume that all
of engaged threads share load equally
Better compromise is to assume that true stress lies between these two
extremes, but most likely is closer to one thread-pair assumption.
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ME3180

Stresses in Threads Contd

Power screws and fasteners for high-load applications are usually made
of hardened high-strength steels.
Power screw nuts may also be of hardened material for strength and
wear resistance.
Fastener nuts, on the other hand, are often made of soft materials, and
thus, are typically weaker than screws (i.e. regular fastener and nut).
This promotes local yielding in nut threads when fastener is tightened,
which can improve thread fit and promote load sharing between threads.
Hardened nuts are used on hardened high-strength bolts.

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ME3180

Axial Stress

While power screw can see either tensile or compressive axial load, threaded
fastener sees only axial tensile load
This equation can be used to compute axial tensile stress in screw.

F

At

Eq. 14-2
For power screws loaded in compression, possibility of column buckling must
be investigated. Use screws minor diameter to compute slenderness ratio.
Slenderness ratio is factor that determines if column is short or long.
For short column,
where is radius of gyration.
l d
S r use its compressive
10
If it is short column,
yield strength as limiting

stress (Page 200, Norton), if it is long column, then use buckling to
perform failure analysis.
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ME3180

Shear Stress

Possible shear-failure mode involves stripping of threads:

Out of nut
Off of screw
Possibility of either of these scenarios occurring depends on relative
strengths of nut and screw materials
If nut material is weaker, it may strip its threads at its major diameter
If screw is weaker, it may strip its threads at its minor diameter
If both materials are of equal strength, assembly may strip along pitch
diameter
In order to calculate stresses, we must assume some degree of load
sharing among the threads

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Shear Stress Contd

Since complete failure requires all threads to strip, all of threads can be
considered to share load equally
This is good approach as long as nut or screw (or both) is ductile, allowing
each thread to yield as assembly begins to fail

If both nut and screw are brittle (e.g., high-hardness steels or cast iron)
and thread fit is poor
One can envision each thread taking entire load in turn until it fractures
and passes job to the next thread.
The reality is again somewhere between these extremes.
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Shear Stress Contd

ME3180

Stripping-shear area for each screw thread is area of cylinder of its minor diameter d r:

A d w p

where
p = thread pitch
s
r i
wi = factor that defines percentage of pitch occupied by metal at minor
diameter (see Table 14-5)

This area can be multiplied by number of threads in engagement based on

designers judgment.

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ME3180

Shear Stress Contd

For nut stripping at its major diameter, shear area for one screw thread is:

As dwo p
wo is the factor found in Table 14-5
Shear stress for thread stripping is:

As

Minimum Nut Length If the nut is long enough, the load required to strip the
threads will exceed the load needed to fail the screw in tension. The equations
for both modes of failure can be combined and a minimum nut length computed for
any particular screw size. For any UNS/ISO threads or Acme threads of d 1in, a
nut length of at least 0.5d will have a strip strength in excess of the screws tensile
strength. For larger diameter ACME threads, strip-strength of nut with length 0.6d
will exceed the screws tensile strength. These figures are valid only if the screw and
nut are of the same material, which is usually the case.
Minimum Tapped-Hole Engagement When a screw is threaded into a tapped
hole rather than a nut, a longer thread engagement is needed. For same material
combinations, a thread-engagement length at least equal to the nominal thread
diameter d is recommended. For a steel screw in cast iron, brass or bronze, use
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ME3180

Torsional Stress

Torsional stress will develop when:

Nut is tightened on screw
Torque is transmitted through power screw
Torque that twists screw is dependent on friction at screw-nut interface
If screw and nut are well lubricated, less of applied torque is transmitted to
screw, and more is absorbed between nut and clamped surface
If nut is rusted to screw, all applied torque will twist screw, which is why rusty
bolts usually shear even when you attempt to loosen nut
For power screw, if thrust collar has low friction, all applied torque at nut will
create torsional stress in screw (since little torque is taken to ground through lowfriction collar).
In order to accommodate worst case of high thread friction, use total applied
torque in equation for torsional stress in round section (page 183, Norton)

Tr 16T
for this calculation: dr = minor
diameter

J

d r3

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ME3180

Types of Screws/Fasteners

Fasteners can be classified in different ways: by their intended use, by

thread type, by head style, and by their strength.
These fasteners are available in variety of materials including steel,
stainless steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, and plastics.

Classification by Intended Use

Bolts and Machine screws:
Same fastener may take on different name for particular application.
Bolt is fastener with head and straight threaded shank intended to be used
with nut to clamp assembly together. See Fig 14-10a
However, same fastener is called machine screw or cap screw when it is
threaded into tapped hole rather than used with nut. See Fig. 14-10b

Studs:
Headless fastener, threaded on both ends and intended to be semipermanently threaded into one-half of assembly. See Fig. 14-10c
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FIGURE 14-10
Bolt and Nut, Machine Screw and Stud
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ME3180

Types of Screws/Fasteners

Classification by Thread Type

All fasteners intended to make their own hole or make their own threads are
called tapping screws, as in self-tapping, thread-forming, thread cutting,
and self-drilling screws. See Fig. 14-11
These are used in sheet metal or plastic

Classification by Head Style

Slotted Screw:
Many different types of head styles are made, including: straight-slot,
cross-slot (Phillips), hexagonal, hexagonal socket and others. Head shape
can be round, flat (recessed), filister, pan,etc. See Fig. 14-12

Socket-Head Cap Screw:

Typically made of high-strength, hardened steel, stainless steel or other
metals, and are used extensively in machinery. See Fig. 14-13
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FIGURE 14-13
Various Styles of Socket-Head Cap Screws
Courtesy of Cordova Bolt Inc., Buena Park, Calif.
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ME3180

Nuts and Washers

Nuts: Please read up on nuts on pp 897 Norton. See Fig. 14-14, & Fig. 1415 on next slide
Washers:
Plain washer is doughnut -shaped part that serves to increase area of
contact between bolt head or nut and clamped part. See Fig. 10.
Hardened -steel washers are used where bolt compression load on
clamped part needs to be distributed over larger area than bolt head or
nut provides
Any plain washer also prevents marring of part surface by nut when it
is tightened
Softer washer will yield in bending rather than effectively distribute
load

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FIGURE 14-14
Various Styles of Standard Nuts
Courtesy of Cordova Bolt Inc.,
Buena Park, Calif., 90621

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ME3180

Nuts and Fasteners Contd

Lock Washers:
Help prevent spontaneous loosening of standard nuts (as opposed to
lock nuts)
Can be used under nut of bolt or under head of machine screw. See Fig.
14-16

SEMS:
Are combinations of nuts and captive lock washers that remain with
nut
Their main advantage is to ensure that lock washer will not be left out
at assembly or reassembly. See Fig. 14-17

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FIGURE 14-16
Types of Lock Washers
Courtesy of Cordova Bolt Inc.,
Buena Park, Calif., 90621

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ME3180

Bolts and Fasteners

Strengths of Standard Bolts and Machine Screws

Bolts and screws are selected based on their proof strength Sp.
Proof strength is quotient of proof load and tensile-stress area
Proof Load Fp is maximum load (force) that bolt can withstand without
acquiring permanent set.

Preloaded Fastener in Tension

Primary application of bolts and nuts is to clamp parts together, such that
applied loads put bolt(s) in tension. See Fig. 14-21
Joints are preloaded by tightening bolts with sufficient torques to create
tensile loads that approach their proof strengths.

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ME3180

Fasteners Contd

For statically loaded assemblies, preload that generates bolt stress as high
as 90% of proof strength is sometimes used.
For dynamically loaded assemblies (fatigue loading) preload that generates
bolt stress as high as 75% or more of proof strengths is commonly used.
If bolts are suitably sized for applied loads, these high preloads increase
reliability of the bolts.
Reasons for this are subtle and require an understanding of how
elasticities of bolts and clamped members interact when bolt is tightened and
when external load is later applied.
Clamped members have spring constant .
Bolt, being elastic, will stretch when tightened.

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ME3180

Spring Constants of Bolt

Fig. 14.23 shows bolt clamping cylinder of known cross section and length.
We want to examine loads, deflections, and stresses in both bolt and cylinder under
preload and after an external load is applied.
To examine above parameters, we must determine spring constants of bolt and
members.

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ME3180

Spring Constants of Bolt

Bolt:
For bolt of diameter d and axially loaded thread length lt within its clamped zone of length l as
shown in Fig. 14-21, spring constant is
14.11a
1
lt
l lt
lt
ls

Kwhere:
At Eb
Ab Eb
At Eb
Ab Eb
b
Ab is total cross-sectional area and At is tensile stressed area of bolt, and
ls is length of unthreaded shank.

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ME3180

Spring Constants of Bolt Contd

LT lth

1
(2d ) in
4
1
(2d ) in
2

(2d 6) mm

LT lth (2d 12) mm

(2d 25) mm

L 6 in

Table 8.7 (Shigley)

L 6 in

L 125 , d 48 mm
125 L 200 mm
L 200 mm

Table 8.7 (Shigley)

Bolts shorter than standard thread lengths are threaded as close to head as possible

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ME3180

Determining Joint Stiffness Factor Contd

Fig. 14-30 shows results of finite element analysis (FEA) study of stress
distribution in two-part joint-sandwich clamped together with single,
preloaded bolt.
Stress distribution around bolt resembles truncated-cone (or cone-frusta)
barrel shape, as shown in Fig. 14-30a.

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FIGURE 17.19
Lines of equal compressive stress in joint. Bolt loaded
to 100 kip. (Reprinted from [20], courtesy Marcel Dekker
Inc.)

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Spring Constants of Members

(Cylindrical Model)

ME3180

Members:
For cylindrical material geometry shown in Fig. 14-23 (ignoring flanges), material
spring constant becomes:
14.11b
l
l
4l
4l
1

Km

Am1 E1

Am 2 E2

D 2 eff 1E1

D 2 eff 2 E2

where:
Am are effective areas of clamped materials and D eff are effective diameter
of those areas
14.11c
If both clamped materials are same
Deff2
14.11d

D2 d 2

Am Em
Km
l
If Am can be defined as solid cylinder with effective diameter Deff equation 14.11d
becomes
2

D
Am Em
eff Em
Km
or K m
l
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ME3180

External Load on Bolted Connection

Let us consider what happens when external tensile load P is applied to bolted
connection in Fig. 14-23.
Assume clamping force which we call preload Fi, has been correctly applied
by tightening nut before P is applied.
Fi = preload
P = external tensile load
Pb = portion of P taken by bolt
Pm = portion of P taken by members
Fb = Pb + Fi = resultant bolt load
Fm = Fi - Pm = resultant load on members

Fm < 0

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External Load on Bolted Connection Contd

These results are valid as long as some clamping load remains in the members.
P = Pb + P m

14.12a

The load P causes connection to stretch, or elongate.

K
Pb b Pm
Km

Pb = CP, where

Kb
Pb
P
Km Kb

14.13b
14.13c

Kb
C
Km Kb
C is called joints stiffness constant or joint
constant.
C is typically less than 1, and if K b is small compared to Km, C will be small
fraction. This confirms that bolt will see only portion of the applied load P.

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External Load on Bolted Connection Contd

Pm 0.8P. Also members can take even greater percentage of P, if grip is

longer. See Table 8.12 (Shigley)
Km
Pm
P (1 C)P
Kb Km

Fm Fi (1 C)P

14.13d
14.14a

Fb Fi CP

14.14b
Load Po required to separate the joint can be found from equation 14.14a by
F
setting Fm = 0.
Po i
1 C
14.14c
Safety factor (or load factor) guarding against joint separation is

Po
Fi
N

P P(1 C)
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14.14d

ME3180

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External Load on Bolted Connection Contd

Tensile stress in bolt can be found by dividing F b = CP + Fi by At.

CP Fi

At At

section 8.9 in Shigley

Limiting value of b is the proof strength Sp. Thus with introduction of load
factor, above equation becomes:

CnP Fi
Sp
At At

Sp A t Fi
CP

Any value of load factor (factor of safety), n 1, ensures that

b Sp
This implies that bolt will not fail.

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ME3180

External Load on Bolted Connection Contd

From Shigley
0.75 Fp for reused connections also used for dynamic loading

Fi

0.90 Fp for permanent connections also used for static loading

Fp = AtSp
For other materials not in Tables 14.6 and 14.7, use Sp = 0.85Sy
Where Sy is yield strength of that material.

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ME3180

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ME3180

FIGURE 14-19
Head Marks for SAE Bolts
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ME3180

FIGURE 14-20
Head Marks-Metric Bolts

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ME3180

Joints-Member Stiffness
(Cone Frusta Model)

Both stiffness of members and fasteners must be known in order to

learn what happens when assembled connection is subjected to external
tensile loading.
More than two members could be included in grip of fastener. All
together these act like compressive springs in series, and hence total
spring rate of members is

1
1 1 1
1

km k1 k2 k3
ki

(Equ.8-18 Shigley)

If one of members is soft gasket, its stiffness relative to other

members is usually so small that for all practical purposes others can be
neglected and only gasket stiffness is used.
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Joints-Member Stiffness (cont.)

Figure 8-15 illustrates general cone geometry using half-apex angle .

Angle = 45 has been used, but Little reports that this overestimates
3
clamping stiffness. In this book we shall use = 30 except in cases in
which material is insufficient to allow frusta to exit.

Thus spring rate or stiffness of this frustum is

P
Ed tan
k
ln (2t tan D d )( D d )
(2t tan D d )( D d )
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(8-19)

ME3180

Joints-Member Stiffness (cont.)

With = 30, this becomes

0.5774 Ed
(1.155t D d )( D d )
ln
(1.155t D d )( D d )

(8-20)

Equations (8-20), or (8-19), must be solved separately for each

frustum in the joint. Then individual stiffnesses are assembled to obtain

using Eq.(8-18).
If members of joint have same Youngs modulus E with symmetrical
frusta back to back, then they act as two identical springs in series.
From Eq.(8-18) we learn that =/2
. Using grip as l=2t and d w as
m
diameter of washer face, we find spring rate of members to be

Ed tan
km
(l tan d w d )(d w d )
2 ln
(l tan d w d )(d w d )

(8-21)

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Joints-Member Stiffness (cont.)

ME3180

Diameter of washer face is about 50 percent greater than fastener

diameter for standard hexagon-head bolts and cap screws. Thus we can
simplify Eq.(8-21) by letting d W =1.5d . If we also use = 30, the Eq.
(8-21) can be written as

km
2 ln

0.5774 Ed
0.5774l 0.5d

0.5774l 2.5d

(822)

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