Simulating Preloaded Bolted Joints — Lesson 4

Simulation comes to the rescue when deciding the load, size and shape of a bolt. Numerical simulation gives you the opportunity to go beyond hand calculations and factors of safety to understand what is happening in bolted connections.

While simulations are useful in studying the failure of bolts, they do not predict all failure scenarios, such as corrosion. This lesson focuses on what can be done with simulation and what remains an engineer’s responsibility in deciding pass/fail criteria.

Video Lesson

Alternate video link.

Handout

Here are the accompanying handout slides for this lesson.