DEBRE-MARKOS UNIVERSITY

Institute of Technology
School of Mechanical and Industrial engineering

Machine Element-I
Chapter - 3
Design of Joints and Torque Transmitting Elements

Lecture-I

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Bolted Joints Prepared By: Seyfu T.
June,2022
 I. Introduction
Mechanical Joints

Non-Permanent Permanent
Joints Joints

 Bolted Joints  Riveted Joints

 Key Joints  Welded Joints
 Spline Joints  Adhesive joints
 Pin Joints, etc. etc.

• Non-permanent Joints can be assembled and

dissembled without damaging the components.
• Permanent Joints cannot be dissembled without
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damaging the components.
 1. Bolted Joints
Bolted joints : are one of the most common elements in
construction and machine design.
 They consist of fasteners that capture and join other parts, and also
secured with the mating of screw threads.

Screw : a short, slender, sharp-pointed metal pin with a raised helical

thread running around it and a slotted head,
 It used to join machine elements together by being rotated in under
pressure.
 It also a cylinder with a helical ridge or thread running round the
outside that can be turned to seal an opening, apply pressure, adjust
position, etc.

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 Plate-1 Plate-2

Head Nut(fastener)

Screw
Threaded

Shank Collar
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 a) Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
• Screwed/bolted joints are highly reliable in operation.
• They are convenient to assemble and disassemble.
• A wide range of screwed joints may be adopted to various operating
conditions.
• Screws/bolts are relatively cheap to produce due to standardization
and highly efficient manufacturing processes.
Disadvantages
• The main disadvantage is the stress concentration in the threaded
portions which are vulnerable points under variable load conditions.
Note : The strength of the screwed joints is not comparable with that
of riveted or welded joints.

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 b) Designation of Bolted/Screw Joints
 Major diameter. It is the largest diameter of an external or internal screw
thread.
 The screw is specified by this diameter. It is also known as outside or nominal
diameter.
 Minor diameter. It is the smallest diameter of an external or internal screw
thread.
 It is also known as core or root diameter.
 Pitch diameter. It is the diameter of an imaginary cylinder, on a cylindrical
screw thread,
 The surface of which would pass through the thread at such points as to make
equal the width of the thread and the width of the spaces between the
threads.
 Lead. It is the distance between two corresponding points on the same helix.
 It may also be defined as the distance which a screw thread advances axially
in one rotation of the nut.
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 …cont’d

 The lead l, not shown, is the distance the nut moves parallel to the
screw axis when the nut is given one turn.
 A double-threaded screw has a lead equal to twice the pitch, a triple-
threaded screw has a lead equal to 3 times the pitch, and so on
 Pitch. It is the distance from a point on one thread to the
corresponding point on the next.
 This is measured in an axial direction between corresponding points in
the same axial plane. Mathematically,
Pitch = 1 / No. of threads per unit length of screw
 Crest. It is the top surface of the thread.
 Root. It is the bottom surface created by the two adjacent flanks of
the thread.

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 Depth of thread. It is the perpendicular distance b/n the crest and root.
 Flank. It is the surface joining the crest and root.
 Angle of thread. It is the angle included by the flanks of the thread.
 Slope. It is half the pitch of the thread.

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 Thread Standards
• The American National (Unified) thread standard defines basic
thread geometry for uniformity and interchangeability.
• American National (Unified) thread
• UN normal thread
• UNR greater root radius for fatigue applications
• Metric thread
• M series (normal thread)
• MJ series (greater root radius)

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 …cont’d
• Coarse series UNC
• General assembly
• Frequent disassembly
• Not good for vibrations
• The “normal” thread to specify
• Fine series UNF
• Good for vibrations
• Good for adjustments
• Automotive and aircraft
• Extra Fine series UNEF
• Good for shock and large vibrations
• High grade alloy
• Instrumentation
• Aircraft
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 …cont’d
 Basic profile for metric M and MJ threads shown in Fig. 8–2

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 …cont’d
 Tables 8–1 and 8–2 define basic dimensions for standard threads

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 • The tensile stress area, At , is the area of an unthreaded rod with the same
tensile strength as a threaded rod.

• It is the effective area of a threaded rod to be used for stress calculations.

• The diameter of this unthreaded rod is the average of the pitch diameter
and the minor diameter of the threaded rod.
 Metric threads are specified by writing the diameter and pitch in
millimeters, in that order. Thus, M12 × 1.75 is a thread having a nominal
major diameter of 12 mm and a pitch of 1.75 mm. Note that the letter M,
which precedes the diameter, is the clue to the metric designation.

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 Threaded Fasteners
Design of Bolted Joints
• The purpose of a bolt is to clamp two or more parts together.
• The clamping load stretches or elongates the bolt; the load is obtained by twisting the nut
until the bolt has elongated almost to the elastic limit. If the nut does not loosen, this bolt
tension remains as the preload or clamping force.

• Figure 8–9 is a drawing of a standard hexagon-head bolt.

• Points of stress concentration are at the fillet, at the start of the threads (runout), and
at the thread-root fillet in the plane of the nut when it is present.

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 Threaded Lengths (LT)

English

Metric

where the dimensions are in millimeters

Where LT - thread length of bolts and d is the nominal diameter

 Head Type of Bolts
 Hexagon head bolt
◦ Usually uses nut
◦ Heavy duty
 Hexagon head cap screw
◦ Thinner head Fig. 8–9
◦ Often used as screw (in threaded
hole, without nut)
 Socket head cap screw
◦ Usually more precision
applications
◦ Access from the top
 Machine screws
◦ Usually smaller sizes
◦ Slot or philips head common
◦ Threaded all the way
Fig. 8–10
 Machine Screws

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 Hexagon-Head Bolt
 Hexagon-head bolts are one of the most common for engineering
applications
 Standard dimensions are included in Table A–29
 W is usually about 1.5 times nominal diameter, W=1.5d
 Bolt length L is measured from below the head
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 Nuts
 See Appendix A–31 for typical specifications
 First three threads of nut carry majority of load
 Localized plastic strain in the first thread is likely, so nuts should not
be re-used in critical applications.

End view Washer-faced, Chamfered both Washer-faced, Chamfered

regular sides, regular jam nut both sides,
jam nut
Fig. 8–12
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 Tension Loaded Bolted Joint
 Twisting the nut stretches the bolt to produce the clamping force. This
clamping force is called the pretension or bolt preload.
 Grip length l includes everything being compressed by bolt preload,
including washers
 Washer under head prevents burrs at the hole from gouging into the
fillet under the bolt head

Fig. 8–13
 Pressure Vessel Head
 Hex-head cap screw in tapped hole used to fasten cylinder
head to cylinder body
 Note O-ring seal, not affecting the stiffness of the members
within the grip
 Only part of the threaded length of the bolt contributes to
the effective grip l

Fig. 8–14
 Effective Grip Length for Tapped Holes
 For screw in tapped hole, effective grip length is
 Bolted Joint Stiffnesses
 During bolt preload
 bolt is stretched
 members in grip are compressed
 When external load P is applied
 Bolt stretches further
 Members in grip uncompress some Fig. 8–13
 Joint can be modeled as a soft bolt spring in parallel with a
stiff member spring
 Bolt Stiffness
 Axially loaded rod, partly
threaded and partly
unthreaded
 Consider each portion as a
spring
 Combine as two springs in
series
27
Procedure to Find Bolt Stiffness
29
 …cont’d

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…cont’d
…cont’d
 Example 1
1. A bolted joint is to have a grip consisting of two 14-mm steel plates and one 14R metric plain
washer to fit under the head of the M14 × 2 hex-head bolt, 50 mm long.
a) What is the length of the thread LT for this diameter metric coarse-pitch series bolt?
b) What is the length of the grip l?
c) What is the height H of the nut?
d) Is the bolt long enough? If not, round to the next larger preferred length (Table A–17).
e) What is the length of the shank and the threaded portions of the bolt within the grip? These
lengths are needed in order to estimate bolt spring rate kb.

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 Exercises
1. A blanking disk is 20 mm thick and is to be fastened to a spool whose flange is 25 mm
thick, using eight M12 × 40 hex-head metric cap screws.
a) What is the length of the threads LT for this fastener?
b) What is the effective grip length l′?
c) Is the length of this fastener sufficient? If not, round to the next preferred length.
d) Find the shank length ld and the useful threaded length in the grip lt. These lengths are
needed in order to estimate the fastener spring rate kb.

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