Loosening phenomenon on thin plates bolted joint due to offset load

In this study, the new loosening behavior was discovered and investigated when offset loads were repeatedly applied to both ends of a bolted joint initially tightened to a thin plate made of high-tensile steel. In the experiments, the impact of offset distance on reduction of clamp force was investigated through multiple applications of symmetric offset axial load to the bolted joint assembly. The experimental results showed that even a slight offset load reduced the clamp force, and the larger the offset distance, the greater the reduction of the clamp force. It was also found that the decrease in clamp force depends not on the number of times the offset load is applied but on the magnitude of the offset load. Until now even if the thin plate bolted joint was subjected to an offset load, as long the plates do not deform significantly due to plastic deformation, it has been generally recognized that the clamp force is not reduced. This loosening phenomenon is new and its mechanism has not been elucidated yet. In order to clarify the mechanism that may lower the clamp force, this study conducted FE analysis using a simplified model of a bolted joint. In the FE model, the bolt and nut are considered as a single unit and the effect of slippage between the thread surfaces and the effect of plastic deformation is ignored by using elastic analysis. The results of the FE analysis showed that the main factor causing the reduction in clamp force was slippage between the thin plates to be joined, which was caused by offset load, and that the slippage didn't return to the original position resulting in the reduction in clamp force.