In the “Steel Joints” add-on, you can consider the prestress of bolts in the calculation for all components. You can easily activate the prestress using the check box in the bolt parameters, and it has an impact on the stress-strain analysis as well as the stiffness analysis.
Prestressed bolts are special bolts used in steel structures to generate a high clamping force between the connected structural components. This clamping force causes friction between the structural components, which allows the transfer of forces.
Functionality
Prestressed bolts are tightened with a certain torque, thus stretching them and generating a tensile force. This tensile force is transferred to the connected components and leads to a high clamping force. The clamping force prevents the connection from loosening and ensures reliable force transmission.
Advantages
- High load-bearing capacity: Pretensioned bolts can transfer high forces.
- Low deformation: They minimize the deformation of the connection.
- Fatigue strength: They are resistant to fatigue.
- Ease of assembly: They are relatively easy to assemble and disassemble.
Analysis and Design
The calculation of prestressed bolts is performed in RFEM using the analysis FE model generated by the "Steel Joints" add-on. It takes into account clamping force, friction between structural components, shear strength of bolts, and load-bearing capacity of structural components. The design is carried out according to DIN EN 1993-1-8 (Eurocode 3) or the US standard ANSI/AISC 360-16. The created analysis model, including the results, can be saved and used as an independent RFEM model.