• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2019

Bolted joints are commonly used in civil infrastructure and mechanical assembly structures. Monitoring and identifying the connection status of bolts is the frontier problem of structural research. The existing research is mainly on the looseness of a single bolt. This article presents a study of assessing the loosening/tightening health state and identifying the loose bolt by using ultrasonic guided wave in a bolt group joint. A bolt-tightening index was proposed for evaluating the looseness of a bolt connection based on correlation coefficient. The tightening/loosening state of the bolt was simulated by changing the bolt torque. More than 180 different measurement tests for total of six bolts were conducted. The results showed that with the bolt torque increases, value of the proposed bolt-tightening index increases. The proposed bolt-tightening index trend was very well reproduced by an analytical expression using a function of the torque applied with an overall percentage error lower than 5%. The developed damage index based on the proposed bolt-tightening index can also be applied to locate the loosest bolt in a bolt group joint. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a bolt group joint experiment with different positions of bolt looseness was performed. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is effective to detect and locate bolt looseness and has a good prospect of finding applications in real-time structural monitoring.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1305-1330
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• 2015

The successful application of the component-based approach - widely used to model structural joints - requires knowledge of the mechanical properties of the constitutive joint components, including an appropriate assembly procedure to derive the joint properties. This paper presents a component-method model for a structural joint component that is located in the tension zone of blind-bolted connections to concrete-filled tubular steel profiles. The model relates to the response of blind-bolts with headed anchors under monotonic loading, and the blind-bolt is termed the "Extended Hollo-bolt". Experimental data is used to develop the model, with the data being collected in a manner such that constitutive models were characterised for the principal elements which contribute to the global deformability of the connector. The model, based on a system of spring elements, incorporates pre-load and deformation from various parts of the blind-bolt: (i) the internal bolt elongation; (ii) the connector's expanding sleeves element; and (iii) the connector's mechanical anchorage element. The characteristics of these elements are determined on the basis of piecewise functions, accounting for basic geometrical and mechanical properties such as the strength of the concrete applied to the tube, the connection clamping length, and the size and class of the blind-bolt's internal bolt. An assembly process is then detailed to establish the model for the elastic and inelastic behaviour of the component. Comparisons of model predictions with experimental data show that the proposed model can predict with sufficient accuracy the response of the component. The model furthers the development of a full and detailed design method for an original connection technology.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.452-459
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• 2019

In order to design and manufacture structures such as a guided missile, assembly process with fastener is an essential method of fabrication. In this study, the dynamic characteristics of a cylindrical structure with bolted joints were studied using experimental methods. The change of the natural frequency of the structure with the change of the fastening method and the tightening torque were measured by the test and the finite element analysis was performed using the stiffness model of the fastening part according to the fastening method and compared with the test results.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2024

A recently proposed rapid-disassembly , carbon-minimized dismantle connection was tested using cyclic loading. To better understand the behavior of the test specimen, three-dimensional finite element (3D-FE) analyses were conducted using a "tied model" (bolted contact surfaces are tied together) and a "bolt-slip model" (contact surfaces slip and separate). The tied model suggests that plastic hinging of the beam occurs if the proposed connection behaves rigidly. The bolt-slip model suggests that the proposed connection, if manufactured and assembled properly, can dissipate energy to about 0.5 times that experienced by a rigid connection. However, when compared in a test, its moment-rotation hysteresis curve does not match well, which suggests that the low performance of the test specimen is attributable to a manufacturing deficiency. Regardless, the results corroborate the pinching phenomenon observed in the experimental hysteresis and fracture failure of the test specimen.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.2356-2363
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• 2015

This study deals the optimization design with the simulation based design of a coil spring inserted into the lock nut for preventing the screw thread from loosening at the bolted joint when the high-strength steel bolt with the property class of 10.9 is used and the screw torque of 640 to 800 (Nm) is applied. In this study, structural analysis of assembly composed of bolt, nut and coil spring is carried out to evaluate its safety factors on the basis of the equivalent stress with commercial finite element analysis software. And the design strategy to extract the design improvement from these simulation results is established. An iterative process performed with the proposed design strategy is also proposed for improving the performance of the existing design. At the proposed procedure, the feasible design parameters using response surface method are found, and then these parameters are verified to be optimal or not by comparing with the response values and the simulation results obtained from the feasible parameters.