Cumulative Clamp Load Loss Due to a Fully Reversed Cyclic Service Load Acting on an Initially Yielded Bolted Joint System

The amount of clamp load loss due to a fully reversed cyclic service load is determined for a bolted assembly in which the fastener and the joint were both tightened initially beyond their respective proportional limits. The cyclic reversed load acts in a direction parallel to the bolt axis. During the first half of each cycle, the cyclic load acts as tensile separating force that increases the fastener tension further into the nonlinear range; it simultaneously reduces the joint clamping force. Thus, after the first one half of the cycle, the clamp load is reduced from its initial value due to the plastic elongation of the fastener. During the second half cycle, the cyclic load compresses the joint further into the plastic range; simultaneously, it reduces the fastener tension. Due to the permanent set in the compressed joint, the clamp load is decreased further at the end of the second half cycle of the service load. The cumulative clamp load loss due to the permanent set in both the fastener and the joint is analytically determined using a nonlinear model. Variables investigated in this study include the joint-to-fastener stiffness ratio, the ratio of the initial fastener tension to its elastic limit, and the ratio of the external force to its maximum tensile value that would trigger joint separation.