Sequence of loads and Step-by-step preloading of bolts

cx g
cx g Altair Community Member
edited May 2022 in Community Q&A

Hello,

Currently, i am trying to learn, how to use Sequence of loads. But I have a problem.

I have a bolt that I want to preload in steps.

For example, add 500N for the first step, 1000N for the second step, and so on.

Another situation is that there are multiple bolts, the No. 1 bolt is preloaded first, then No. 2 and No. 3. Each step needs to extract the preload of other bolts.

Thank you so much for your help

 

0504.hm 240.9K

Best Answer

  • PaulAltair
    PaulAltair
    Altair Employee
    edited May 2022 Answer ✓

    Yes, the attached simple example has 4 pretensioned bolts, loaded sequentially in loadsteps 1-4, the 5th loadstep is pretensioning all 4 simultaneously for comparison, the difference is small, but it is there (compare disp stress and final tension in the 4 bolts) when you play the animation of loadstep 4 it still looks like they are all applied together, but that is due to it being a linear static analysis with only the start and end states in the results

    image

Answers

  • PaulAltair
    PaulAltair
    Altair Employee
    edited May 2022

    The first: (add load to an already loaded pretension) is not available I don't believe. You may add an 'adjustment' in a subsequent step, defined in terms of length, but not change the force directly.

    The second: You may achieve by defining separate pretensions for bolts 1, 2 and 3, in loadstep one you have pretension 1, in loadstep 2 you have pretension 2 and statsub (pretens) loadstep 1, and in loadstep 3 you have pretension 3 and statsub (pretens) loadstep 2.

  • cx g
    cx g Altair Community Member
    edited May 2022

    The first: (add load to an already loaded pretension) is not available I don't believe. You may add an 'adjustment' in a subsequent step, defined in terms of length, but not change the force directly.

    The second: You may achieve by defining separate pretensions for bolts 1, 2 and 3, in loadstep one you have pretension 1, in loadstep 2 you have pretension 2 and statsub (pretens) loadstep 1, and in loadstep 3 you have pretension 3 and statsub (pretens) loadstep 2.

    First of all, thank you very much for your answer.
    For the second case, I would like to ask, does statsub (pretens) realize that step1 is loaded first, and then step2 is loaded? rather than being loaded together at the same time.
    I am sorry for not being able to reply you in time due to the time difference.

  • PaulAltair
    PaulAltair
    Altair Employee
    edited May 2022 Answer ✓

    Yes, the attached simple example has 4 pretensioned bolts, loaded sequentially in loadsteps 1-4, the 5th loadstep is pretensioning all 4 simultaneously for comparison, the difference is small, but it is there (compare disp stress and final tension in the 4 bolts) when you play the animation of loadstep 4 it still looks like they are all applied together, but that is due to it being a linear static analysis with only the start and end states in the results

    image

  • cx g
    cx g Altair Community Member
    edited May 2022

    Thank you very much ,Paul Sharp.

    WIll go with these suggestions.

  • Ovunc2
    Ovunc2 Altair Community Member
    edited May 2022

    Hello, 

    Firstly, this is very usefull explanation, @Paul Sharp . Thank you.

    • 1.Question:  How can we do what you stated below? Could you please elaborate a little?

    "You may add an 'adjustment' in a subsequent step, defined in terms of length, but not change the force directly."

    • 2.Question: For example, there is a gasket between the two components and it is being compressed. For this case, I want to calculate the pressure on the compressed surfaces. What would you recommend me to examine in the analysis results? (contact pressure, gasket thickness- direction pressure, ..... ) 

     

    • 3. Question : How can I use the "Gasket Sealing Status" that I see in hyperview? I think, I need to enter a scale for this.

    Thank you. 

    Best Regards, 

    Ovunc

  • PaulAltair
    PaulAltair
    Altair Employee
    edited May 2022
    Ovunc2 said:

    Hello, 

    Firstly, this is very usefull explanation, @Paul Sharp . Thank you.

    • 1.Question:  How can we do what you stated below? Could you please elaborate a little?

    "You may add an 'adjustment' in a subsequent step, defined in terms of length, but not change the force directly."

    • 2.Question: For example, there is a gasket between the two components and it is being compressed. For this case, I want to calculate the pressure on the compressed surfaces. What would you recommend me to examine in the analysis results? (contact pressure, gasket thickness- direction pressure, ..... ) 

     

    • 3. Question : How can I use the "Gasket Sealing Status" that I see in hyperview? I think, I need to enter a scale for this.

    Thank you. 

    Best Regards, 

    Ovunc

    1: Add a pretension load of type PTADJST (instead of PTFORCE), in attached, I added a 6th loadstep (with loadstep 4 as statsub (pretens) that shortens the 3rd bolt by 1e-2, if you are using the new interface you can manage it in bolt pretension manager (adjustment line) this creates the loadcol (PRETENSION) for you, you then need to create the loadstep with that pretension, with the preceding case as the statsub (pretens) case.

    image

    For 2 and 3, I've not used the gaskets, but there is an example for this in help, link: Gasket with Preload in Help

  • Ovunc2
    Ovunc2 Altair Community Member
    edited May 2022

    1: Add a pretension load of type PTADJST (instead of PTFORCE), in attached, I added a 6th loadstep (with loadstep 4 as statsub (pretens) that shortens the 3rd bolt by 1e-2, if you are using the new interface you can manage it in bolt pretension manager (adjustment line) this creates the loadcol (PRETENSION) for you, you then need to create the loadstep with that pretension, with the preceding case as the statsub (pretens) case.

    image

    For 2 and 3, I've not used the gaskets, but there is an example for this in help, link: Gasket with Preload in Help

    Hi @Paul Sharp

    Thank you for your answer. 

    As I understand it, the 3rd bolt is pre-tightening 0.01 units, right? (in units of length(milimeter, meter ets.))

    Thank you. 

    Best Regards, 

    Ovunc

  • PaulAltair
    PaulAltair
    Altair Employee
    edited May 2022
    Ovunc2 said:

    Hi @Paul Sharp

    Thank you for your answer. 

    As I understand it, the 3rd bolt is pre-tightening 0.01 units, right? (in units of length(milimeter, meter ets.))

    Thank you. 

    Best Regards, 

    Ovunc

    Yes, but there is a caveat to be aware of, the PTADJST it is set to show the 'effect' of shortening the bolt by 0.01 units (in this case mm) but the stiffness of the bolt has an effect (the force required to achieve this shortening is calculated and applied to the bolt, but the bolt then stretches due to that force so the change in length will usually not match the requested PTADJST shortening value)

    So for the model I shared, the 'actual' shortening of bolt 3 in loadstep 6 in the result is only 0.004 units, if you e.g. increased bolt material modulus by a factor of 100 then you would get the full 0.01mm length change as the stiffness of the bolt would be sufficient to make the 'restretching' negligible.

  • Ovunc2
    Ovunc2 Altair Community Member
    edited May 2022

    Yes, but there is a caveat to be aware of, the PTADJST it is set to show the 'effect' of shortening the bolt by 0.01 units (in this case mm) but the stiffness of the bolt has an effect (the force required to achieve this shortening is calculated and applied to the bolt, but the bolt then stretches due to that force so the change in length will usually not match the requested PTADJST shortening value)

    So for the model I shared, the 'actual' shortening of bolt 3 in loadstep 6 in the result is only 0.004 units, if you e.g. increased bolt material modulus by a factor of 100 then you would get the full 0.01mm length change as the stiffness of the bolt would be sufficient to make the 'restretching' negligible.

    Hello Paul, 

    Thanks for the very useful information.

    Best Regards, 

    Ovunc