A new method for visually and real-timely measuring stress and load distributions in bolt with photoelastic technology

Abstract

After analyzing the stress characteristics of the bolt, we determined that it can be regarded as experiencing a planar stress state due to the absence of circumferential stress. Consequently, a photoelastic bolt specimen was fabricated by taking a slice across its diameter. Using a photoelastic bench, we collected interference fringe images of the photoelastic specimen under different loads. This method enabled us to visually and continuously measure the stress distributions within the specimen in real-time. Additionally, the load distribution ratio of each tooth was derived. By comparing these results with those obtained through numerical simulation, we were able to validate the reasonability of the theoretical assumption regarding the load distribution of each tooth in the bolt. Our method establishes a solid foundation and can be effectively utilized for precise thread connection design.