Why Increased Elasticity Leads to Reduced Self-Loosening
Bolted joints are critical to the safe operation of equipment for a wide range of industries and applications, from packaging to electrical connections, valves and flanges, petrochemical and refining operations, to deep sea and offshore drilling equipment, structural systems, crossbows and even ski lifts. Over time, bolts stretch and lose their load due to a variety of reasons. Failure of the bolted joint in many cases can cause downtime for costly equipment repairs or be catastrophic— resulting in hazardous leaks, fires or fatal accidents.
Download the White Paper, Why Increased Fastening System Elasticity Leads to Reduced Self-Loosening of Fasteners
It is important to understand how vibration, specifically, can cause bolts to lose load. Download the paper, Why Increased Fastening System Elasticity Leads to Reduced Self-Loosening of Fasteners, for a closer look at how relative bolt slip between joint members during vibration cycles changes the load on the bolted joint, based on test data from German engineer, Gerhard Junkers. This white paper discusses the self-loosening phenomena that causes bolted connections subject to cyclic loading to lose preload. Many of the products on the market aim to solve loss of bolt preload after a very rapid load decrease. This paper provides an alternative way to counteract the loss of preload in its early stages, by increasing the elasticity of the bolting system through employing Solon Belleville Springs & Washers to maintain bolt preload.This article is part of a series on the use of Belleville springs in bolting applications:
- Using Belleville Springs to Maintain Bolt Preload
- Why Bolts Work (and why some don't)
- Using Belleville Springs to Prevent Bolt Fatigue Failures
Application: General Purpose Bolting
Application: Commercial Bolting Applications
Calculator: Bolt Stretch Calculator
Calculator: Infinite Bolt Life Fatigue Calculator
Video: Solon Belleville Spring Washers
Product Selection Tools: Application Specific Calculators
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