Investigation into the Effect of the Nut Thread Run-Out on the Stress Distribution in a Bolt Using the Finite Element Method

By means of comparing results from finite element analysis and photoelasticity, the salient characteristics of a finite element model of a nut and bolt have been established. A number of two-dimensional and three-dimensional models were created with varying levels of complexity, and the results were compared with photoelastic results. It was found that both two-dimensional and three-dimensional models could produce accurate results provided the nut thread run-out and friction were modeled accurately. When using two-dimensional models, a number of models representing different positions around the helix of the thread were created to obtain more data for the stress distribution. This approach was found to work well and to be economical.