Generated Bolt Connection

[john_erichsen]

I am completing a stress analysis of a steel assembly with bolted connections.   I have set the connection surfaces as contact and I used the "bolt wizard" to create the bolted connection.    It is a linear analysis.   Once completed, I request the maximum axial load by part.   The results are provided below.    If I am interpreting the results correctly, the negative value (Minimum) is tension and the maxmimum is compression.   If this is truly a pretensioned bolted connection, the beam element will not experience compression.    Am I looking a the results correctly?

Result Type:        Axial Force Smoothing Function: None

Units:              lbf

Load Case:          1/1     Part  Minimum   Maximum   171   -5630.36  21457.6   172   -9131.06  15172.3  

173   -6742.85  44606.2  

[AstroJohnPE]

Hi John,

I think you meant to type that negative values are compression and positive values are tension. Otherwise, I suggest that you isolate one of the parts (such as part 171) and check which elements are in tension and which are in compression. The "head" and "nut" elements are on the same part number as the "shank", if I remember correctly. So it is possible that the head or nut elements are the compression and the shank is the tension.