Simulation - of sorts

[Krispee]

Hi all.
I was wondering if there was a way of testing if a countersunk screw could fail when fully screwed into an assembly and at what pressure? I'm designing and building my own watch (not the movement) and set myself an added challenge of building it in wood. I have been experimenting with wooden screws, making them out of the densest woods there are, (I have machined a 2 x .4 screw in cheesehead and countersunk successfully) and was concerned that they wouldn't be able to hold the respective components together enough without failing. I know Solidworks has a simulation module but having never used it I'm unsure as to what might be possible. I know I'm asking a lot of a small wooden screw but I'd like to try - the countersunk is perhaps favourite.

Granted I could just make them and screw them in but this might shortcut that part of he process, if possible.

Anyway, if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.

Regards.
Kris.

 

[hullcb]

I don't think you could accurately simulate a wooden fastener. Typically fasteners aren't really fully modeled, as that is actually a really tough simulation when you get into threads yielding slightly, the friction, etc (all the stuff that makes fasteners work). Throw in the added complexity of a non-isotropic material that has pretty non-standard material properties and I don't think you'd get much out of your simulation. If you've already been experimenting, continue to do so and put some data together on what kind of torque (and thus preload) your fasteners fail at.

 

[Krispee]

I don't think you could accurately simulate a wooden fastener. Typically fasteners aren't really fully modeled, as that is actually a really tough simulation when you get into threads yielding slightly, the friction, etc (all the stuff that makes fasteners work). Throw in the added complexity of a non-isotropic material that has pretty non-standard material properties and I don't think you'd get much out of your simulation. If you've already been experimenting, continue to do so and put some data together on what kind of torque (and thus preload) your fasteners fail at.

Right, I guess it was as I expected, but I wanted to know for sure, just in case there was a way around it. Thanks for your help anyway and I'll keep on working at it. It is actually fun trying things out, just long winded.