Abstract
An open frame structure is fastened by bolt joints for strength and shock attenuation. Therefore the full finite element model of an open frame structure should be properly modeled including bolt joints for strength analysis of the frames and joint assemblies which are operated under multi-loading conditions such as driving, drop, inertia and torsional loads. Then the joints and frames must satisfy the specified allowable strength constraints. Because the full finite element model has a large number of elements to perform strength analysis, a detailed fine bolt analysis seems to be very expensive. Therefore bolts of the full finite element model are approximately modeled by coupling method to constrain degree of freedoms between adjacent nodes. However, the coupling method can exaggerate stress results at the constrained nodes. Thus a detailed bolt analysis and a theoretical/experiential formula of bolts for a worst bolt joint are performed using reaction force applied both bolt and bolt joint. Finally, the results from the two methods are compared and discussed to verify the safety of the open frame structure.
