How to Calculate
Maximum Fastener
and Screw Torque
DESIGN ENGINEERING
A bolted joint is the joining of two pieces of material using a bolt
(or other threaded fastener) and a nut or threaded/tapped hole. It
is expected that the bolted joint will be able to withstand the
maximum applied forces to the joint over its lifetime.
When designing a bolted joint, it is important to consider the type
of fastener used as well as the interior threads of the hole
(external and internal threads respectively) based on the
expected maximum axial forces that will be applied to the joint in
the future. The preload of a bolted joint is the initial axial force
applied by the fasteners across the joint. The preload should be
equal to or larger than the maximum expected applied axial
forces to the bolted joint in order to avoid separation of material.
Preload
The general rule of thumb for bolted joint design (steel fasteners)
is for the fastener to be engaged by between 1 and 1.5 times the
diameter of the fastener used (softer material fasteners will need
a longer engagement length). This rule of thumb is to achieve
optimal joint strength.
The preload of a bolted joint design is generally based on the
tensile yield strength of the bolt or fastener used. For the
calculations in this post, it will be assumed that the yield strength
of the internal threads is larger than the proof strength of the
fastener threads, causing the limiting factor to be the fastener
used. If the internal thread was the limiting factor, additional
calculations would be required based on the length of
engagement, fastener proof strength, and internal thread yield
strength.
The axial preload force of the bolted joint can be calculated as:
Where:
F_AP = Axial Preload Force applied to bolted joint
%_Y = Percent of Yield Strength multiplier
S_YT = Yield Strength of fastener
A_s = Tensile Stress Area of fastener threads
The axial preload force applied to the bolted joint is based on the
tensile stress area of the fastener threads. This is calculated from
the thread tensile stress area equation detailed in ASME B1.1-
2003 Appendix B-1:
Where:
D = Nominal diameter of the fastener
1/P = Number of threads per inch of the fastener (P = 1/TPI)
More information regarding how this formula came to be can be
found in the ASME B1.1-2003 document. The rounded decimals
are based on the thread angle, pitch diameter, and pi.
The proof strength is the limit of the elastic range of the bolt, the
point on the curve at which the deformation begins to hold even
after the load is reduced. The proof strength can be calculated
conservatively as:
Where:
S_P = Proof Strength of the fastener
From this logic, according to mechanical engineering industry
agreement, a conservative preload force for a nonpermanent
bolted joint can be calculated as:
And for a permanent bolted joint:
Example:
For a 10-32 bolt made out of A286 with a yield strength of 105
ksi:
Torque
The torque acted on a fastener required to create the preload
force is calculated as:
Where:
T = Torque acted on the fastener
D_n = Nominal Diameter of the fastener
F_AP = Axial Preload Force applied to the bolted joint
K_T = Coefficient of Torque
The coefficient of torque is a calculation based on the condition of
the fastener and can be affected by lubrication, plating, anti-seize
compounds, etc. The coefficient of torque can be estimated as 0.2
if the condition is unknown.
Example:
To continue the example above assuming an unknown joint
condition:
If it was known that the bolt would be lubricated, the coefficient of
torque would change to some value between 0.16 and 0.18
depending on the lubrication and is based on the coefficient of
friction that is used to determine the coefficient of torque.
