Effect of Bolts Overloading in Flange-Type Joints

The joints of bars composed of flanges and high-strength bolts are currently used in steel structures as simple and economical construction solutions. This paper presents some theoretical aspects regarding the behavior and calculation of joints with flanges and partially pre-tensioned bolts. The overloading of the pretensioned high-strength bolts produced by the tensile effort resulting from the external actions is usually neglected in the technical materials and in the design norms for constructions, as long this tensioning effort does not exceed the pretensioning force of the high-strength bolts. The overloading effort of the bolts can be evaluated theoretically by estimating the relative stiffness of the flanges and bolts and confirmed through experimental tests and computer simulations. This paper also theoretically and computationally analyzes a joint for a tensioned bar made up of pre-stressed high-strength bolts and end flanges.