×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Thread Analysis on SolidWorks

Thread Analysis on SolidWorks

Thread Analysis on SolidWorks

(OP)
Dear Gentlemen,

A friend of mine asked to perform a few calculations in order to find out if the threads of a Nut and Screw could sustain the amount of traction force applied.

So, I performed the calculation to find out the area of the threads in contact and, using a factor of 2, I have found out the maximum force that the threads could hold.

After that I have tried to use SolidWorks to validade my calculations but, although I can model a lot of things on Solid, I do not have the practice to perform simulations.

Could any of you guys have a look on the calculations and tell me if they are reasonable? If any of you have the proficience with Simulation on SolidWorks, could you share some tips?

Any comments will be very welcomed.

Thank you all for your ideas,

Marcus

RE: Thread Analysis on SolidWorks

I have done a few thread simulations in Solidworks. You are best to model a slice and use symmetry, since the mesh size will need to be quite small.

What you will find is that about 27% of the load is taken by the first thread, not averaged over the full number of engaged threads. There is a method in ASME VIII Div.3 for calculating this load. Some people use a simplified method where they subtract one engaged thread and average the load over the remaining. IMO this can be unconservative in most high loading situations.

Typically find the load in the first thread then check for contact and shear stress. The same code will give you allowable limits if you are using it for pressure equipment. For your case you should refer to a relevant structural code.

I have found that the non-uniform loading is quite accurate for elastic thread loading. If you want to account for local yielding in the threads to redistribute the load then you will need to run a non-linear analysis. You may also get reasonable results in the static analysis by turning on large displacements. Sine the deformation will be small your results should be reasonably accurate. It will make for a good comparison to the elastic analysis.

Basically though I don't know if you need to check the 'threads', don't you really only need the tensile and shear capacity of the bolt? This is easily calculated with the core area for shear and the stress area for tension. For shear in the shank you just need the shank area. At work I would just compare my load to the published capacity for the relevant bolt, takes about two seconds. Checking the threads is only really necessary in special cases, like highly loaded acme threads and the like.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources