Bolted joints are widely used in modern engineering structures and machine designs due to their low cost and reliability when correctly selected. Their integrity depends on quantitative representation of the contact pressure distribution at the interface during design. Because of the difficulty in reaching and assessing clamped interfaces with traditional experimental methods, presently bolted joint design and evaluation is based on theoretical analysis, with assumptions to quantify pressure distribution at the clamped interface, which may not represent their true operating conditions. The present work utilises a non-intrusive ultrasonic technique to investigate and quantify the pressure distribution in bolted joints. The effect of variation in plate thickness on the contact pressure distribution at bolted interfaces under varying axial loads is investigated. While it was observed that the contact pressure at the interface increases as the applied load increases, the distance from the edge of the bolt hole at which the distribution becomes stable is independent of the applied load on the bolted joint. However, the contact pressure distribution was observed to vary with the plate thickness. Although the variation in the peak value of the average contact pressure distribution in bolted joints does not depend on the plate thickness, the distance from the edge of bolt hole at which the value of the distribution becomes stable increases as the plate thickness is increased. It was also observed that the edge of the bolt head affected the position of the peak value of the contact pressure distribution at the interface, though its effect was dependent on plate thickness. Furthermore, a model based on a Weibull distribution has been proposed to fit the experimental data and a good correlation was observed.

No abstract

Bolted joints are widely used in a variety of engineering applications where they are dynamically loaded with frequencies of vibration spread over a wide spectrum with the same general effects. When under dynamic loading, bolted joints can become loose due to a loss in clamping pressure in the joints. This vibrational loosening sometimes can cause serious problems, and in some cases can lead to fatal consequences if it remains undetected. Non-intrusive ultrasonic and image processing techniques were simultaneously used to investigate the relaxation of contact pressure and loosening of bolted joints subjected to cyclic shear loading. Three critical areas, the contact interface of the bolted component, the bolt length and the rotation of the bolt head, were monitored during loosening of the joints. The results show that loosening of bolted joints can be grouped into three stages: very rapid, rapid, and gradual loosening. The earliest stage of the loosening of bolted joints is characterised by cyclic strain ratcheting–loosening of the bolted joint during vibration without rotation of the bolt head. The higher the rate of relaxation at this early stage, the lower is the resistance of the bolted joint to vibration-induced loosening. Both the dynamic shear load and an additional constant shear load in another direction were observed to affect the rate of loosening, and at this early stage, a rise in the magnitude of the additional constant shear load increases the rate of loosening. Furthermore, the contact pressure distribution affects the rate of loosening at the bolted joint interface, as loosening increases away from area of high contact pressure.

This paper reports the effects of local cooling media (groundnut oil, palm oil, shea butter and air) on the mechanical properties of heat treated mild steel. Tensile test, hardness test and microstructural analysis were carried out on the heat treated and as-purchased specimens. The results show significant differences in the mechanical properties of the heat treated specimens. The hardness profile showed higher values for palm oil-cooled, shea butter-cooled, and the groundnut oil-cooled specimens in an increasing of order respectively when compared with as-purchased specimen with 194.9 VHN, while a decrease in hardness was recorded for the air-cooled specimen. Furthermore, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the heat treated specimens obtained through the tensile test analysis showed an increase in yield strength for the groundnut oil-cooled (464.4 MPa) and the shea butter-cooled (412.9 MPa) specimens, and a decrease in yield strength for the air-cooled (358.3 MPa) and palm oil-cooled (307.7 MPa) specimens when compared with the as-purchased specimens (376.9 MPa). Also, the same trend was observed in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the specimens. In contrast, the ductility improved in air-cooled specimen (40.28) while decreased in the specimen cooled in the media when compared with as-purchased specimens (34.22). Furthermore, microstructural analysis revealed that the groundnut oil-cooled specimens gave a microstructural quality than the other heat treated specimens.

Lubrication is essential in metal cold rolling operation to regulate friction at the metal-roll interface, reduce energy loss and improve the product surface finish. A novel non-intrusive pitch-catch technique, based on the reflection of ultrasound, was employed on a pilot mill to evaluate oil-film thickness at the metal-roll interface during the metal cold rolling operation. During the metal rolling process, oil-film thickness was measured under varying rolling load and rolling speed. The oil-film thickness increases as the roll speed increases and reduces as the rolling load increases. The values of oil-film thickness obtained from this non-intrusive ultrasonic technique agree with theoretical values. This study is a proof of concept and has shown promising results. If further developed, the technique could be employed for in situ monitoring of lubricant during rolling operation in metal rolling industries.