Mechanical Behavior of High-Tension Bolted Joints with Varying Bolt Size and Plate Thickness

Abstract

The use of steel plates has been greatly increased in bridge construction, particularly for long-span bridges. For connections of those steel plates in the field, application of high-tension bold, such as M30, is highly demanded. However, the current steel construction specifications in Korea do not provide information for large-sized bolt connections. In order to evaluate the applicability of the large-sized high-tension bolt, this study experimentally investigates relaxation and slip behavior of M30 bolts with varying bolt size and plate thickness. In addition, internal compressive stress was computed using FEM analysis. The analyzed results were compared with the stress distribution measured from strain gages attached on bolts and bolt holes. From the study presented herein, the M30 high-tension bolts are anticipated to be successfully used with the relaxation less than 10% and the slip coefficient satisfying the specified limit.