Evaluation of Loosening Resistance Performance of Conical Spring Washer by Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

The conical spring washer (CSW) has been considered to prevent the loosening of a bolted joint and has thus been widely employed. However, experimental results obtained in studies focusing on loosening due to transverse loading conducted by Yamamoto et al. and Sakai have shown that a CSW did not prevent loosening in any context. In the present paper, we performed three-dimensional finite element analyses of an M10 bolted joint using a CSW subjected to transverse loading and investigated its loosening resistance performance. Two kinds of axial force were applied: one was low axial force (10kN) under which a CSW is not fully compressed, and the other was high axial force (20kN) under which a CSW is fully compressed. In the case of high axial force, the CSW showed no vivid effect on preventing loosening. On the other hand, in the case of low axial force, the CSW showed two opposite effects. The negative effect was an increase in the loosening rotation angle, while the positive one was the prevention of a decrease in axial force. When complete bearing-surface slip occurs, a CSW can prevent loosening because the positive effect is larger than the negative. However, when small bearing-surface slip occurs, a CSW cannot prevent loosening because the negative effect cancels the positive one. It is supposed that the small stuck region as well as the small equivalent diameter of friction torque leads to large loosening rotation.