Bolts

In a static stress analysis, you can define bolts to accurately account for the load transfer between parts in an assembly and therefore compute the stress and deformation of your assembly. For a natural frequency analysis, bolts account for the correct stiffness and mass of the bolted connection, computing the natural frequencies and mode shapes of your assembly including bolts. Note that the Bolts feature targets general assembly setup and is not intended for post-processing.

You can define a bolt by assigning an existing Bolt definition to two or more coaxial holes. A Bolt type specifies the grade and the bolt dimensions as well as material properties. Click the Filter icon to narrow down the list of Bolts.

Note: Bolts cannot be created in a component tab.

You can display the bolts as 3D objects or as lines.

Once a bolt is defined, you can then add a Bolt Preload condition to model a bolt under pretension.

After solving, you can assess your bolts in the Connection Assessment Tool. This tool cycles through the bolts and shows whether they pass or fail the factor of safety.

Note: For Topology Optimization, the cylindrical surfaces of bolts are considered protected regions, and bolt assignments are included in the simulation. However, bolt preloads are ignored.

This section contains the following topics: