Finite element analysis of the shear capacity of stainless-steel screw connections

Abstract

Stainless-steel has been widely applied in engineering for its good corrosion resistance and low life-cycle cost. The use of screws in the thin sheet has the advantages of simple construction and tight connection, so it is widely used in open-air maintenance systems. However, the mechanical performance of stainless-steel screw connections is quite different from that of carbon steel due to the material difference, which needs further research. In this paper, finite element method was carried out to simulate the shear performance of the stainless-steel screw connections. The simulated failure modes were consistent with the experimental results, the simulated load–displacement curves were close to the experimental results, and the difference was within 10%. A variety of parametric studies utilizing the finite element method (FEM) had been performed on the shear capacity of stainless-steel screw connections, which included sheet thickness, spacing and connecting length. Results shown that the connecting length was the main factor affecting the shear capacity of the stainless-steel screw connections. For equal-thickness connection (t1 = t2 = 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 3.0 mm), when the connecting length was within 6d-60d, the shear capacity increased linearly with the increase of the connecting length. For unequal-thickness connection (t1 = 1.5 mm, t2 = 2.0 mm/t1 = 2.0 mm, t2 = 3.0 mm/t1 = 2.0 mm, t2 = 5.0 mm), when the connecting length was within 6d-45d, the shear capacity increased linearly with the increase of the connecting length. However, when the connecting length was within 45d-60d, the end screw occurred shear failure first, its shear capacity almost no longer increased. The change of screw spacing and the sheet thickness had few effect on the shear capacity. Based on reliability research, the resistance factor and design strength were proposed. For shear failure,γR=1.273, fvb=275MPa, and for bearing failure, γR=1.306, fvb=315MPa.