The self-loosening process of a bolted joint consists of two distinct stages. The early stage of self-loosening is due to the cyclic plastic deformation of the materials. The second stage of self-loosening is characterized by the backing off of the nut. The current work is concentrated on an experimental investigation of the second stage self-loosening. Over one hundred bolted joints with M12×1.75 bolts and nuts were experimentally tested using a specially designed testing apparatus. The experiments mimicked two plates jointed by a bolt and a nut and were subjected to cyclic transverse shear loading. During an experiment, the relative displacement between the two clamped plates, denoted by δ, was a controlling parameter. For a given preload, the relationship between, Δδ/2, the amplitude of the relative displacement between the two clamped plates, and, the number of loading cycles to loosening followed a pattern similar to a fatigue curve. There existed an endurance limit below which self-loosening would not persist. A larger preload resulted in a larger endurance limit. However, a large preload increased the possibility for the bolt to fail in fatigue. The results suggest that the use of a regular nut is superior to the use of a flange nut in terms of self-loosening resistance.
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September 2004
Technical Papers
An Experimental Study of Self-Loosening of Bolted Joints
Yanyao Jiang,
Yanyao Jiang
Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557
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Ming Zhang,
Ming Zhang
Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557
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Tae-Won Park,
Tae-Won Park
Department of Precision Mechanics, Jeonju Technical College, Seoul, Korea
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Chu-Hwa Lee
Chu-Hwa Lee
Advanced Engineering Center, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI 48121
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Yanyao Jiang
Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557
Ming Zhang
Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557
Tae-Won Park
Department of Precision Mechanics, Jeonju Technical College, Seoul, Korea
Chu-Hwa Lee
Advanced Engineering Center, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI 48121
Contributed by the Reliability, Stress Analysis, and Failure Prevention Committee for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received September 2003; revised January 2004. Associate Editor: E. Sancaktar.
J. Mech. Des. Sep 2004, 126(5): 925-931 (7 pages)
Published Online: October 28, 2004
Article history
Received:
September 1, 2003
Revised:
January 1, 2004
Online:
October 28, 2004
Citation
Jiang , Y., Zhang, M., Park, T., and Lee, C. (October 28, 2004). "An Experimental Study of Self-Loosening of Bolted Joints ." ASME. J. Mech. Des. September 2004; 126(5): 925–931. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1767814
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