A Contribution to the Effective Range of the Preload on a Bolted Joint

Abstract

In order to clarify the static and dynamic behaviour of a bolted joint on a machine tool the effects of joint surfaces on the effective range of the preload are investigated in this paper.Two basic experiments in which the interface pressure distribution driven from the preload has been measured by means of ultrasonic waves were carried out. From the results it is known that the effective range of the preload is quite different from the results presented already elsewhere, namely that the preload acts over a larger area of the bolted joint compared with the range calculated by Rtscher’s pressure cone. For example, the half angle of pressure cone a given by our experiments is about 65 deg for the lapped joint surfaces, and furthermore this angle decreases with improving joint surface roughness.We can conclude that the joint surfaces have large effects on the effective range of the preload and on the interface pressure distribution.