Hindawi

Mathematical Problems in Engineering

Volume 2019, Article ID 8424283, 19 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8424283

Research Article
Stiffness Calculation Model of Thread Connection
Considering Friction Factors

Shi-kun Lu ,1,2 Deng-xin Hua ,1 Yan Li ,1 Fang-yuan Cui ,1 and Peng-yang Li 1

1
Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
2
Laiwu Vocational and Technical College, Laiwu 271100, China

Correspondence should be addressed to Deng-xin Hua; [email protected] and Yan Li; [email protected]

Received 9 September 2018; Revised 12 December 2018; Accepted 1 January 2019; Published 23 January 2019

Guest Editor: Yingyot Aue-u-lan

Copyright © 2019 Shi-kun Lu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

In order to design a reasonable thread connection structure, it is necessary to understand the axial force distribution of threaded
connections. For the application of bolted connection in mechanical design, it is necessary to estimate the stiffness of threaded
connections. A calculation model for the distribution of axial force and stiffness considering the friction factor of the threaded
connection is established in this paper. The method regards the thread as a tapered cantilever beam. Under the action of the
thread axial force, in the consideration of friction, the two cantilever beams interact and the beam will be deformed, these
deformations include bending deformation, shear deformation, inclination deformation of cantilever beam root, shear deformation
of cantilever beam root, radial expansion deformation and radial shrinkage deformation, etc.; calculate each deformation of the
thread, respectively, and sum them, that is, the total deformation of the thread. In this paper, on the one hand, the threaded
connection stiffness was measured by experiments; on the other hand, the finite element models were established to calculate
the thread stiffness; the calculation results of the method of this paper, the test results, and the finite element analysis (FEA) results
were compared, respectively; the results were found to be in a reasonable range; therefore, the validity of the calculation of the
method of this paper is verified.

1. Introduction distribution on any plane perpendicular to the bolt axis had

zero gradient at r = 𝑑ℎ /2 and r = 𝑟𝑜 , where it also vanishes.
The bolts connect the equipment parts into a whole, which They mainly use numerical methods to calculate the influence
is used to transmit force, moment, torque, or movement. The of different parameters on the stiffness of bolted connections.
bolt connection is widely used in various engineering fields, Kenny B, Patterson E A. [5] introduced a method for
such as aviation machine tools, precision instruments, etc. measuring thread strains and stresses. Kenny B [6] et al.
The precision of the threaded connection affects the quality reviewed the distribution of loads and stresses in fastening
of the equipment. Especially for high-end CNC machine threads. Miller D L et al. [7] established the spring model of
tools, the precision of the thread connection is very high. thread force analysis and, combined with the mathematical
Therefore, it is important to study the stiffness of the threaded theory, analyzed the stress of the thread and compared
connection to improve the precision of the device. Many with the FEA results and experimental results to verify the
researchers have conducted research in this area. correctness of the spring mathematical model. Wang W
Dongmei Zhang et al. [1], propose a method which can and Marshek K M. et al. [8] proposed an improved spring
compute the engaged screw stiffness, and the validity of the model to analyze the thread load distribution, compared
method was verified by FEA and experiments. Maruyama et the load distributions of elastic threads and yielding thread
al. [2] used the point matching method and the FEM, based joints, and discussed the effect of the yield line on the load
on the experimental results of Boenick and the assumptions distribution. Wileman et al. [9] performed a two-dimensional
made by Fernlund [3] in calculating the pressure distribution (2D) FEA for members stiffness of joint connection. De
between joint plates. Motash [4] assumed that the pressure Agostinis M et al. [10] studied the effect of lubrication on
2 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

thread friction characteristics or torque. Dario Croccolo 2. Mathematical Model

et al. [11–13] studied the effect of Engagement Ratio (ER,
namely, the thread length over the thread diameter) on the 2.1. Axial Load Distribution. According to Yamamoto [31],
tightening and untightening torque and friction coefficient the thread is regarded as a cantilever beam, and the thread is
of threaded joints using medium strength threaded locking deformed under axial force and preload. These deformations
include the following (shown in Figure 3): thread bending
devices. Zou Q. et al. [14, 15] studied the use of contact
deformation, thread shear deformation, thread root incli-
mechanics to determine the effective radius of the bolted
nation deformation, thread root shear deformation, radial
joint and also studied the effect of lubrication on friction
direction extended deformation, or radial shrinkage defor-
and torque-tension relationship in threaded fasteners. Nassar mation.
S. A. et al. [16, 17] studied the thread friction and thread For the ISO thread, the axial deformation of the thread
friction torque in thread connection. Nassar S. A. et al. at 𝑥 at the axial unit width force 𝑤z is thread bending
[18, 19] also investigated the effects of tightening speed and deformation 𝛿1 , thread shear deformation 𝛿2 , thread root
coating on the torque-tension relationship and wear pattern inclination deformation 𝛿3 , thread root shear deformation
in threaded fastener applications in order to improve the 𝛿4 , and radial direction extended deformation 𝛿5 (nut) or
reliability of the clamping load estimation in bolted joints. radial shrinkage deformation 𝛿5 (screw), and calculate these
Kopfer et al. [20] believe that suitable formulations should deformations of the thread, respectively, and then sum them,
consider contact pressure and sliding speed; based on this, the that is, the total deformation.
contribution shows experimental examples for main uncer-
tainties of frictional behavior during tightening with different 2.1.1. Bending Deformation. In the threaded connection,
material combinations (results from assembly test stand). under the action of the load, the contact surface friction
Kenny B et al. [21] reviewed the distribution of load and coefficient is 𝜇, when the sliding force along the inclined plane
stress in the threads of fasteners. Shigley et al. [22] presented is greater than the friction force along the inclined plane, the
an analytical solution for member stiffness, based on the relative sliding occurs between the two inclined planes, and
work of Lehnhoff and Wistehuff [23]. Nasser [24], Musto the axial unit width force (shown in Figure 3) is 𝑤𝑧 ; if the
and Konkle [25], Nawras [26], and Nassar and Abbound influence of the lead angle is ignored, the force per unit width
[27] also proposed mathematical model for the bolted-joint perpendicular to the thread surface can be expressed as
stiffness. Qin et al. [28] established an analytical model of
bolted disk-drum joints and introduced its application to 𝑤𝑧
𝑤= (1)
dynamic analysis of joint rotor. Liu et al. [29] conducted 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
experimental and numerical studies on axially excited bolt
connections. The force per unit width perpendicular to the thread
There are also several authors that, starting from the surface can be decomposed into the x-direction component
nature of thread stiffness, from the perspective of thread force and the y-direction component force, respectively
deformation, established a mathematical model of the calcu-
lation of the distribution of thread axial force. The Sopwith 𝑤𝑧 cos 𝛼
𝑤 cos 𝛼 = (2)
method [30] and the Yamamoto method [31] received exten- 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
sive recognition. The Sopwith method gave a method for cal-
culating the axial force distribution of threaded connections. and
Yamamoto method can not only calculate the axial force dis-
𝑤𝑧 sin 𝛼
tribution of threads but also calculate the stiffness of threaded 𝑤 sin 𝛼 = (3)
connections. The assumption for Yamamoto method is that 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
the load per unit width along the helix direction is uniformly
distributed. In fact, for the three-dimensional (3D) helix The friction generated along the slope is w𝜇; i.e.,
thread, the load distribution is not uniform. Therefore, based 𝑤𝑧 𝜇
on the Yamamoto method, Dongmei Zhang et al. [1] propose 𝑤𝜇 = (4)
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
a method which can compute the engaged screw stiffness
by considering the load distribution, and the validity of the The force w𝜇 is also decomposed into x-direction force
method was verified by FEA and experiments. The method and y-direction force, which are 𝜇 sin 𝛼 and 𝜇 cos 𝛼, respec-
of Zhang Dongmei does not consider the influence of the tively.
friction coefficient of the thread contact surface. In fact,
the friction coefficient of the contact surface of the thread 𝑤𝑧 𝜇 sin 𝛼
connection has an influence on the distribution of the axial 𝑤𝜇 sin 𝛼 = (5)
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
force of the thread and the stiffness of the thread. Therefore,
we propose a new method which can compute the engaged 𝑤𝑧 𝜇 cos 𝛼
𝑤𝜇 cos 𝛼 = (6)
screw stiffness more accurately by considering the effects of 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
friction and the load distribution. The accuracy of the method
was verified by the FEA and bolt tensile test. The flow chart In the unit width, the thread is regarded as a rectangular
of the article is shown in Figure 2. variable-section cantilever beam. Under the action of the
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 3

above-mentioned force, the thread undergoes bending defor- parabola [31] and the deformation 𝛿2 (see Figure 3(b)) caused
mation, and the virtual work done by the bending moment 𝐸 by the shear force within the width of unit 1 is
on the beam 𝑑𝑦 section is
𝑎 6 (1 + V) (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼) cot 𝛼
𝑀𝑤 𝛿2 = log𝑒 ( ) ⋅
𝐸𝑑𝜃 = 𝐸 𝑑𝑦 (7) 𝑏 5𝐸𝑏
𝐸𝑏 𝐼 (𝑦) (12)
𝑤𝑧
⋅
According to the principle of virtual work, the deflection 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
𝛿1 (see Figure 3(a)) of the beam subjected to the load is
2.1.3. Inclination Deformation of the Thread Root. Under
𝑐 𝐸𝑀𝑤
𝛿1 = ∫ 𝑑𝑦 (8) the action of the load, the thread surface is subjected to a
0 𝐸𝑏 𝐼 (𝑦) bending moment, and the root of the thread is tilted, as
shown in Figure 3(c). Due to the inclination of the thread,
where 𝐸 is the bending moment of the unit load beam. axial displacement occurs at the point of action of the thread
𝑀𝑤 is the bending moment of the beam under the actual surface force, and the axial displacement can be expressed as
load. I(y) is the area moment of inertia of the beam at 𝑦. 𝐸𝑏 is [31]
Young’s Modulus of the material. c is the length of the beam.
Here, the forces are assumed as acting on the mean diameter 𝑤𝑧 12𝑐 (1 − V2 )
of the thread. 𝛿3 = ⋅ ⋅ [cos 𝛼 ⋅ 𝑐
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏 𝑎2
As shown in Figure 5, the height ℎ(𝑦) of the beam section
per unit width and the area moment of inertia 𝐼(𝑦) of the 𝑎 (13)
section can be expressed by using the function interpolation. + 𝜇 sin 𝛼 ⋅ 𝑐 − sin 𝛼 ( − 𝑐 tan 𝛼)
2
𝑎
(𝛽1 − 1) (𝑐 − 𝑦) + 𝜇 cos 𝛼 ( − 𝑐 tan 𝛼)]
ℎ (𝑦) = [1 + ] ℎ, (0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝑐) 2
𝑐
3 2.1.4. Deformation due to Radial Expansion and Radial
1 3 (𝛽 − 1) (𝑐 − 𝑦)
𝐼 (𝑦) = 𝑏ℎ [1 + 1 ] , (0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝑐) (9) Shrinkage. According to the static analysis, the thread is sub-
12 𝑐
jected to radial force 𝑤 sin 𝛼 − 𝑤𝜇 cos 𝛼 (shown in Figure 4),
𝑎 and it is known from the literature [31] that the internal and
𝛽1 =
ℎ external thread radial deformation (shown in Figure 3(d)) are

where h is the beam end section height; b is the beam 𝑑𝑝 𝑤𝑧 (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 cos 𝛼)
section width; 𝛽1 is the beam root section height and the 𝛿4b = (1 − ]𝑏 ) tan 𝛼 ⋅ (14)
beam end section height ratio; see Figure 5. 2𝐸𝑏 𝑃 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
From Figure 5, the bending moment of the beam is related
to the y-axis component of 𝑤 and w𝜇, and these components and
cause the beam to bend; therefore, the analytical solution
shows that the bending moment of the unit width beam 𝐷20 + 𝑑2𝑝 𝑑𝑝
subjected to the friction force and the vertical load of the 𝛿4n = ( + ]𝑛 ) ⋅ tan 𝛼
thread surface is 𝐷20 − 𝑑2𝑝 2𝐸𝑛 𝑃
(15)
𝑤𝑧 𝑤 (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 cos 𝛼)
𝑀𝑤 = ⋅ [cos 𝛼 ⋅ c + 𝜇 sin 𝛼 ⋅ 𝑐 ⋅ 𝑧
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
(10)
𝑎 𝑎
− sin 𝛼 ( − 𝑐 tan 𝛼) + 𝜇 cos 𝛼 ( − 𝑐 tan 𝛼)] 2.1.5. Shear Deformation of the Root. Assuming that the
2 2
shear stress of the root section is evenly distributed, the
Substituting (10) and (9) to (8) and integrating to obtain displacement of the 𝑂 point in the 𝑥 direction caused by
the analytical expression of the deflection 𝛿1 (shown in the shear deformation (shown in Figure 3(e)) is the same
Figure 3(a)) of the cantilever beam with variable cross-section as the displacement of the thread in the 𝑥 direction; this
under load one has displacement can be expressed as [31]

12𝑀𝑤 𝑐2 1 1 1 1 2 (1 − V2 ) ⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼)

𝛿1 = 3
⋅ [ ( 2 + 1) − ] ⋅ 2 (11) 𝑤𝑧
𝐸𝑏 𝑏ℎ 2 𝛽1 𝛽1 (𝛽1 − 1) 𝛿5 = ⋅
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏
(16)
2.1.2. Shear Deformation. Assume that the distribution of 𝑃 𝑃 + 𝑎/2 1 4𝑃2
⋅ { log𝑒 ( ) + log𝑒 ( 2 − 1)}
shear stress on any section is distributed according to the 𝑎 𝑃 − 𝑎/2 2 𝑎
4 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

For ISO internal threads, the relationship between a, b, c, 𝑀𝑤𝑛 1 1 1

𝛿1𝑛 = 3.784 ⋅ [ ( 2 + 1) − ]
and pitch 𝑃 is 2 2
𝐸𝑛 𝑃 𝛽𝑛 2 𝛽𝑛 𝛽𝑛
(25)
1
⋅ 2
, 𝛽𝑛 = 1.751
𝑎 = 0.833𝑃 (𝛽𝑛 − 1)
𝑏 = 0.5𝑃 (17) 𝑤𝑧
𝑀𝑤𝑛 = [0.325𝑃 ⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 ⋅ sin 𝛼)
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
𝑐 = 0.289𝑃 (26)
− (0.4375𝑃 − 0.325𝑃 ⋅ tan 𝛼) (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 ⋅ cos 𝛼)]

Substituting (17) into (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), and (16) 6 (1 + V) (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼) cot 𝛼
one gets the relation 𝛿2𝑛 = 0.55962 ⋅
5𝐸𝑏
(27)
𝑤𝑧
⋅
𝑀𝑤𝑏 1 1 1 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
𝛿1𝑏 = 3.468 ⋅ [ ( 2 + 1) − ]
𝐸𝑏 𝑃2 𝛽𝑏3 2 𝛽𝑏 𝛽𝑏
(18) 𝑤𝑧 12𝑐 (1 − V2 )
1 𝛿3𝑛 = ⋅ ⋅ [0.325𝑃
⋅ , 𝛽𝑏 = 1.6684 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏 𝑎2
2
(𝛽𝑏 − 1) (28)
⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 ⋅ sin 𝛼)
𝑤𝑧
𝑀𝑤𝑏 = [0.289𝑃 ⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 ⋅ sin 𝛼) − (0.4375𝑃 − 0.325𝑃 ⋅ tan 𝛼) (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 ⋅ cos 𝛼)]
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 (19)
− (0.4165𝑃 − 0.289𝑃 ⋅ tan 𝛼) (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 ⋅ cos 𝛼)] 𝐷20 + 𝑑2𝑝 𝑑𝑝
𝛿4n = ( + ]𝑛 ) ⋅ (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 cos 𝛼) tan 𝛼
𝐷20 − 𝑑2𝑝 2𝐸𝑛 𝑃
6 (1 + V) (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼) cot 𝛼 (29)
𝛿2𝑏 = 0.51 ⋅ 𝑤𝑧
5𝐸𝑏 ⋅
(20) 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼
𝑤𝑧
⋅
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 1.7928𝑤𝑧 2 (1 − V2 ) ⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼)
𝛿5𝑛 = ⋅ (30)
12𝑐 (1 − V2 ) 𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏
𝑤𝑧
𝛿3𝑏 = ⋅ ⋅ [0.289𝑃
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏 𝑎2 By adding these deformations separately, the total defor-
(21) mation (shown in Figure 4) of screw thread and nut thread
⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 ⋅ sin 𝛼) − (0.4165𝑃 − 0.289𝑃 ⋅ tan 𝛼) can be obtained under the action of force 𝑤𝑧 .
⋅ (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 ⋅ cos 𝛼)] 𝛿𝑏 = 𝛿1𝑏 + 𝛿2𝑏 + 𝛿3𝑏 + 𝛿4𝑏 + 𝛿5𝑏 (31)

𝑑𝑝 𝛿𝑛 = 𝛿1𝑛 + 𝛿2𝑛 + 𝛿3𝑛 + 𝛿4𝑛 + 𝛿5𝑛 (32)

𝛿4b = (1 − ]𝑏 ) (sin 𝛼 − 𝜇 cos 𝛼) tan 𝛼
2𝐸𝑏 𝑃 The unit force per unit width of the axial direction can be
(22) expressed as
𝑤𝑧
⋅ 𝑤
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝑓Δ = 𝑧 = 1 (33)
𝑤𝑧
1.8449𝑤𝑧 2 (1 − V2 ) ⋅ (cos 𝛼 + 𝜇 sin 𝛼)
𝛿5𝑏 = ⋅ (23) Under the action of unit force of axial unit width, the total
𝜇 sin 𝛼 + cos 𝛼 𝜋𝐸𝑏 deformation of external thread and internal thread is
𝛿 + 𝛿2𝑏 + 𝛿3𝑏 + 𝛿4𝑏 + 𝛿5𝑏
𝛿𝑏1 = 1𝑏 (34)
For ISO internal threads, the relationship between a, b, c, 𝑤𝑧
and pitch 𝑃 is and
𝛿1𝑛 + 𝛿2𝑛 + 𝛿3𝑛 + 𝛿4𝑛 + 𝛿5𝑛
𝛿𝑛1 = (35)
𝑎 = 0.875𝑃 𝑤𝑧

𝑏 = 0.5𝑃 (24) For threaded connections, at the x-axis of the load F, the
axial deformation of screws and nuts can be expressed as
𝑐 = 0.325𝑃 𝜕𝐹
𝑧𝑏 (𝑟) = 𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ (36)
𝜕𝑟
Substituting (24) into (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (15), and (16) 𝜕𝐹
type one gets the relation 𝑧𝑛 (𝑟) = 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ (37)
𝜕𝑟
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 5

w
Screw
w

0.5a
Nut


w 
L

P
Fx Nut o y

0.5a


Screw
Fb

Thread axial force distribution Partial view

(a) (b)

Figure 1: Thread force.

Here 𝑟 is the length along the helical direction, and the the screw is subjected to pulling force, the total axial force
relation between the axial height 𝑥 and the length along the is 𝐹𝑏 , and the axial force at the threaded connection screw 𝑥
helix direction can be represented by the following formula is F(x). If the position of the bottom end face of the nut is
according to the geometric relation shown in Figure 6. the origin 0 and, at the 𝑥 position, the axial force is F(x), the
screw elongation amount 𝜀𝑏 and the nut compression 𝜀𝑛 can
𝑥
𝑟= (38) be obtained from the following:
sin 𝛽
𝐹 (𝑥)
Here, 𝛽 is the lead angle of the thread shown in Figure 6, 𝜀𝑏 (𝑥) = (45)
𝐴 𝑏 (𝑥) 𝐸𝑏
and then
𝐹 (𝑥)
𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝐹 𝜀𝑛 (𝑥) = (46)
𝑧𝑛 (𝑥) = 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ = 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ ⋅ = 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 ⋅ (39) 𝐴 𝑛 (𝑥) 𝐸𝑛
𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑥
where 𝐴 𝑏 (x) and 𝐴 𝑛 (x) are the vertical cross-sectional
𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝐹 areas of screws and nuts at the 𝑥 position. 𝐸𝑏 and 𝐸𝑛 are,
𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) = 𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ = 𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ ⋅ = 𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 ⋅ (40)
𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑥 respectively, Young’s modulus of the screw body and Young’s
Assume modulus of the nut body. Find the displacement gradient for
the expression, which is, respectively, expressed as
𝜕𝐹 1
= = 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 (𝑥) (41) 𝜕𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) 1 𝜕2 𝐹
𝜕𝑥 ⋅ 𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) 𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 = ⋅ 2 (47)
𝜕𝑥 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 (𝑥) 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝐹 1
= = 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 (𝑥) (42) 𝜕𝑧𝑛 (𝑥) 1 𝜕2 𝐹
𝜕𝑥 ⋅ 𝑧𝑛 (𝑥) 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 = ⋅ 2 (48)
𝜕𝑥 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 (𝑥) 𝜕𝑥
Here, 𝑘𝑏𝑥 (x) and 𝑘𝑛𝑥 (x) represent the stiffness of the unit
axial length of the nut and the screw, respectively, for the unit Here, 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 (𝑥) = 1/(𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ sin 𝛽), and 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 (𝑥) = 1/(𝛿𝑛1 ⋅
force. sin 𝛽).
The axial total deformation of the threaded connection at As shown in Figure 1(a), the screw is subjected to the
𝑥 is denoted as tensile force 𝐹b , with the bottom of the nut as the coordinate
origin, and the force at the x position is 𝐹𝑥 , and then
𝐿
𝑧𝑥 (𝑥) = 𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) + 𝑧𝑛 (𝑥) (43) the elongation of the screw at x is ∫𝑥 𝜀𝑏 (𝑥)𝑑𝑥 = 𝑤𝑏 ,
and the compressed shortening amount of the nut at x is
The stiffness of the unit axial length of the threaded 𝐿
connection is expressed as ∫𝑥 𝜀𝑛 (𝑥)𝑑𝑥 = 𝑤𝑛 . The relationship between 𝑤b , 𝑤n , 𝑧b , and
𝐿 𝐿
𝜕𝐹 𝑧n is ∫𝑥 𝜀𝑏 (𝑥)𝑑𝑥 + ∫𝑥 𝜀𝑛 (𝑥)𝑑𝑥 = [𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) + 𝑧𝑛 (𝑥)]𝑥=𝐿 − [𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) +
𝑘𝑢𝑥 (𝑥) = 𝑧𝑛 (𝑥)]𝑥=𝑥 (see Figures 7 and 1(a),), and the partial derivative
𝜕𝑥 ⋅ 𝑧𝑥 (𝑥)
of this relation can be obtained by the following formula:
𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝑧𝑏 (𝑥) 𝜕𝑧𝑛 (𝑥)
= ÷ (𝛿𝑏1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 ⋅ + 𝛿𝑛1 ⋅ sin 𝛽 ⋅ ) (44) 𝜀𝑏 (𝑥) + 𝜀𝑛 (𝑥) =
+ (49)
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥
1 Substituting (45), (46), (47), and (48) into (49) and
= simplifying it
(𝛿𝑛1 + 𝛿𝑏1 ) ⋅ sin 𝛽
(𝐴 𝑛 𝐸𝑛 + 𝐴 𝑏 𝐸𝑏 ) 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 𝜕2 𝐹 (𝑥)
As shown in Figure 1(a), the threaded connection struc- ⋅ 𝐹 (𝑥) = (50)
ture includes a nut body and a screw body. The nut is fixed, 𝐴 𝑏 𝐸𝑏 𝐴 𝑛 𝐸𝑛 (𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 + 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 ) 𝜕𝑥2
6 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

w
w Force analysis of thread

1b , 2b , 3b , 4b , 5b

1n , 2n , 3n , 4n, 5n

Deformation of thread

b = 1b + 2b + 3b + 4b + 5b

Total deformation of the thread when
n = 1n + 2n + 3n + 4n + 5n
the helix angle is not considered

F F x F
zb(x) = b1 · = b1 · · = b1 · ＭＣＨ ·
r x r x
Total deformation of the thread
F F x F when considering the helix angle
zn(x) = n1 · = n1 · · = n1 · ＭＣＨ ·
r x r x

FEA of thread stiffness Thread stiffness test Calculation of thread stiffness

Comparison of results

L L
Influence of friction coefficient on
Kc = ∫kx (x) = ∫f(x)kux (x)dx
stiffness and load distribution 0 0

Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the article.

Let Therefore, the axial force distribution density of the

thread connection along the 𝑥 direction can be expressed as
(𝐴 𝑛 𝐸𝑛 + 𝐴 𝑏 𝐸𝑏 ) 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥
𝑛=√ ⋅ (51)
𝐴 𝑏 𝐸𝑏 𝐴 𝑛 𝐸𝑛 (𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑥 + 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑥 )
Then 𝐹 (𝑥) cosh 𝑛𝐿
𝑓 (𝑥) = = (cosh 𝑛𝑥 − sinh 𝑛𝑥) (55)
𝐹𝑏 sinh 𝑛𝐿
𝜕2 𝐹 (𝑥)
𝑛2 𝐹 (𝑥) = (52)
𝜕𝑥2
From mathematical knowledge, the equation is a differ- 2.2. Thread Connection Stiffness. The stiffness in the axial
ential equation. The general solution of the equation can be direction 𝑥 of the bolted connection is equal to the axial force
expressed as distribution of the threaded connection multiplied by the unit
stiffness; i.e.,
𝐹 (𝑥) = 𝐶1 sinh 𝑛𝑥 + 𝐶2 cosh 𝑛𝑥 (53)
As can be seen from Figure 1, the axial force at the first
thread at the connection surface of the nut and the screw 𝑘𝑥 (𝑥) = 𝑓 (𝑥) 𝑘𝑢𝑥 (𝑥) (56)
is 𝐹𝑏 , and the axial force at the last thread at the lower end
of the thread joint surface of the nut and screw is 0; that is,
the boundary condition is F(x=0)=𝐹𝑏 and F(x=L)=0. Taking The overall stiffness of the bolt connection can be
these boundary conditions into the equation will give 𝐶1 =- expressed as
𝐹𝑏 (cosh(𝑛𝐿))/sinh(𝑛𝐿) and 𝐶2 =𝐹𝑏 , so we get the expression
of the threaded connection axial load as
cosh 𝑛𝐿 𝐿 𝐿
𝐹 (𝑥) = 𝐹𝑏 (cosh 𝑛𝑥 − sinh 𝑛𝑥) (54) 𝐾𝑐 = ∫ 𝑘𝑥 (𝑥) = ∫ 𝑓 (𝑥) 𝑘𝑢𝑥 (𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 (57)
sinh 𝑛𝐿 0 0
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 7

x
x w
x
w
w
w
w

3
w

1

2
x
x
x

Screw Screw
Screw
Bending deformation Shear deformation Inclination deformation of thread root
(a) (b) (c)

x
w x
w w
w
4

5
x
x

Screw
Screw
Radial direction extended deformation and radial shrinkage deformation Shear deformation of the root of the thread
(d) (e)

Figure 3: Thread deformation caused by various reasons.

Substituting (44) and (55) into (57), the stiffness of the contact surface is set first. In FEA, the contact algorithm
bolt connection is expressed as used is Augmented Lagrange. Figures 11(a)–11(c) are the force
convergence curves for FEA of threaded connections. Figures
𝐿 𝐿
12(a)–12(c) are the effect of the reciprocal of the mesh size
𝐾𝑐 = ∫ 𝑘𝑥 (𝑥) = ∫ 𝑓 (𝑥) 𝑘𝑢𝑥 (𝑥) 𝑑𝑥
0 0 on the axial force obtained by FEA. We can see from Figures
(58) 12(a)–12(c) that as the mesh size decreases, the resulting axial
1 cosh 𝑛𝐿 − 1
= ⋅ force gradually decreases, but when the mesh size is small to
𝑛 (𝛿𝑏1 + 𝛿𝑛1 ) ⋅ sin 𝛽 sinh 𝑛𝐿 a certain extent, the resulting axial force will hardly decrease.
The axial force at this time is the axial force required by
3. FEA Model the author. With known displacements and axial force, the
stiffness of the threaded connection can be calculated using
A 3D finite element model (shown in Figure 10) was estab- the formula
lished, and FEA was performed to analyze the influence of
various parameters of the thread on the thread stiffness. These 𝐹𝑥
𝐾𝑐 = (59)
parameters include material, thread length, pitch, etc. Δ𝑥
The FEA software ANSYS 14.0 was used for analysis.
During the analysis, the end face of the nut was fixed (shown 4. Tensile Test of Threaded Connections [1]
in Figure 9), the initial state of the model is shown in Figure 8,
and an axial displacement Δ 𝑥 was forced to the end face of In order to verify the effectiveness of this paper method,
the screw. Then, the axial force 𝐹𝑥 of the screw end face was the experimental data of the experimental device in [1]
extracted. The axial stiffness of the threaded connection was are used. In [1], the electronic universal testing machine is
calculated by the FEM. The friction coefficient 𝜇 of the thread used to measure the load-defection data of samples, and the
8 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

wsina-wcosa

wsina
x x

w wcosa w wcos
n =1n +2n +3n +4n +5n wz =wcos+wsin

w w wsin


o y o y
Nut Nut

c c

Comprehensive deformation of nut

(a)

c x x
c

Screw Screw
y o y o

wsin w w


wz =wcos+wsin
n =1n +2n +3n +4n +5n
wcos w wcosa w

wsina

wsina-wcosa

Comprehensive deformation of screw

(b)

Figure 4: The comprehensive deformation of the thread.

x
w
P
0.5a


w


d2
d2
h

y
o
0.5a

Figure 6: The lead angle of the thread.

c-y
c
most accurate data possible, each size of the thread is in a
Figure 5: The force on the thread. small range of deformation during the tensile test, and each
size of the thread tensile test is performed 10 times, and the
average value is calculated as the final calculated data. Some
samples in the experiment are shown in Figure 13.
test sample is made of brass. The tension value 𝐹𝑥𝑡 can be The stiffness calculation formula is
read from the test machine. The axial deflection of thread
connection can be represented by the displacement variation
𝛿𝐿 between two lines as shown in Figure 14, which can be 𝐹𝑥𝑡
𝐾𝑐 = . (60)
measured by a video gauge [1]. In [1], in order to obtain the 𝛿𝐿
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 9

Screw Nut
Fx
Fixed support surface
[z＜(x)+zＨ(x)]x=L

[z＜(x)+zＨ(x)]x=x

L
L

(w n )x=x
(w b )x=x

Figure 9: Threaded connection deformed by axial forces.

Fb Nut fixing surface

Figure 7: Illustration of the elastic deformation of the screwed

portion of the threaded connection. The experimental data, FEA data, and Yamamoto method
data in Tables 1 and 5 are from literature [1]. As can be
seen from Tables 1 and 5, the calculated values obtained
in this paper are all higher than the experimental results.
Perhaps the error is caused by the presence of a small
amount of impurities on the surface of the thread and
partial deformation of the thread inevitably and there is a
slip between the threaded contact surfaces. The theoretical
calculation results and FEA results in this paper have a small
error.
In Table 2, the effect of thread length on stiffness is
presented. It can be seen that when the same nominal
diameter M10, the same pitch P=1.5, and the same material
steel are taken, when the thread engaged length is taken as 14
mm, 9 mm, and 6 mm, respectively, it is found that the longer
Figure 8: Initial state.
the thread engaged length, the greater the stiffness and the
smaller the length of the bond, the smaller the stiffness.
In the FEA, the method of this paper and the Yamamoto
The materials used to make nuts and screws are brass. method, Young’s Modulus of aluminum alloy is E=68.9GPa;
Young’s modulus of brass is 107GPa, and Poisson’s ratio is 0.32 Poisson’s ratio of the aluminum alloy is 0.34. The friction
[1]. coefficient of the steel- steel threaded connection [12, 21, 22,
32] is set to 0.08, and the friction coefficient of aluminum-
5. Results and Discussion aluminum threaded connection [12, 19, 32] is set to 0.1. Table 3
shows the effect of different materials on the stiffness of
5.1. Stiffness of Threaded Connections. Croccolo, D. [12], threaded connections. The two types of threaded connections
Nassar SA [19], and Zou Q [32] studied the coefficient of are made of two different materials, the steel and aluminum
friction of the thread. According to the study by Zou Q and alloys. It can be seen from the table that, under the condition
Nassar SA, in the case of lubricating oil on the thread surface, of the same pitch, the same nominal diameter, and the same
the friction coefficient of the steel-steel thread connection engaged length, the stiffness of the steel thread connection is
thread is 0.08, and the friction coefficient of aluminum- larger than that when the material is aluminum.
aluminum thread connection thread is 0.1. In Table 4, it also shows the influence of different pitches
In order to verify the correctness of the calculation results on the stiffness of the thread connection. It can be seen
of the theory presented in this paper, a variety of threaded that with the same engaged length, the same material, and
connections were used to calculate an experimental test. the same nominal diameter, the pitch 𝑃 is 1.5, 1.25, and 1,
In the finite element analysis and theoretical calculations respectively, and we find that the smaller the pitch, the greater
of this paper, Young’s modulus of steel is 𝐸b = 𝐸n =200Gpa, the stiffness.
and Poisson’s ratio of steel is 0.3, and the friction coefficient When using FEM to analyze the influence of friction
[12, 19, 32] is set to 0.08. factors on the stiffness of threaded connections, the thread
 10

Table 1: Stiffness of threaded connections with different engaged lengths [1] (kN/mm).
Theory
No. Size code of threads Material Exp. FEA
This study Yamamoto method
1 M36×4×32 3627.6 4201.9 4282.1 3630.9
2 M36×4×20 Brass 2664.3 3152.9 3946.1 2761.6
3 M36×4×12 1801.3 2074.2 3129.3 1816.8
Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 11

(a) Nut (b) Screw

Figure 10: Finite element meshing of thread-bonded 3D finite element models.

Table 2: Stiffness of threaded connections with different engaged lengths (kN/mm).

Theory
No. Size code of threads Material FEA
This study Yamamoto method
1 M10×1.5×14 2095.26 2076.6 1965.21
2 M10×1.5×9 Steel 1759.23 2006.2 1770.02
3 M10×1.5×6 1354.70 1804.6 1551.27

Table 3: Stiffness of threaded connections with different material (kN/mm).

Theory
No. Size code of thread Material FEA
This study Yamamoto method
1 M10×1.5×9 Steel 1759.23 2006.2 1770.02
2 M10×1.5×9 Aluminum alloy 607.51 682.11 597.99

Table 4: Stiffness of threaded connections with different pitch (kN/mm).

Theory
No. Size code of threads Material
This study Yamamoto method
1 M10×1.5×9 1759.23 2006.2
2 M10×1.25×9 Steel 2083.17 2177.1
3 M10×1×9 2324.30 2375.2

Table 5: Stiffness of threaded connections with different engaged lengths [1] (kN/mm).

Theory
No. Size code of threads Material Exp.
This study Yamamoto method
1 M36×3×12 Brass 2085.3 2593.2 3525.1
2 M36×2×12 Brass 2396.2 3418.3 4008.9

specification is M6×1×6.1 and the friction coefficients are 0.01, 0.3. Calculated using the theories of this paper, FEA and
0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3. (as shown in Figures 15–20) Yamamoto, respectively, and from Figures 21 and 22, we can
Figures 21 and 22 show the results of stiffness calcu- see that the results of FEA are very similar to the results of the
lations. The thread size is M10×1.5×9 and M6×1×6.1, the theoretical calculations of this paper, the variation trend of
material is steel, Poisson’s ratio of the material is 0.3, Young’s stiffness with friction coefficient is the same, and it increases
Modulus of the material is 200 GPa, and the thread surface with the increase of friction coefficient, and the results of
friction coefficient is taken as 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, and the FEA are in good agreement with those of the FEA;
12 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

97.1
21.4

Force (N)
4.47
2.21
0.448
0.229
0.05
1 2 3 4
Time (s)

1
0
1 2 3 4
Cumulative Iteration

Force convergence Force Criterion

(a) M10×1.5×9, 𝜇=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm
108
20.2
Force (N)

0.711
0.448
0.133
0.025
1 2 3 4
Time (s)

1
0
1 2 3 4
Cumulative Iteration

Force convergence Force Criterion

(b) M8×1.25×6.5, 𝜇=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm
18.7
6.7
Force (N)

2.39
0.855
0.305
0.109
1 2 3 4
Time (s)

1
0
1 2 3 4
Cumulative Iteration
Force convergence Force Criterion
(c) M6×1.0×6.1, 𝜇=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm

Figure 11: FEA convergence curve.

however, Yamamoto theory does not consider the influence is greater, indicating that the more uneven the distribution of
of the friction coefficient on stiffness, and this is obviously axial force, the smaller the curve bending degree, indicating
unreasonable. that the more uniform the distribution of axial force. We can
see that the friction coefficient of thread surface has an effect
5.2. Effect of Friction Coefficient on Axial Force Distribution. on the distribution of axial force.
Take the thread size as M6×0.75×6.1, the axial load 𝐹b is taken
as 100N, 350N, and 550N, respectively, and take the friction 6. Conclusion
coefficients 0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1, respectively, to calculate the
axial force distribution of the thread. As can be seen from This study provides a new method of calculating the thread
Figure 23, when the friction coefficient is 1, the curve bending stiffness considering the friction coefficient and analyzes the
degree is the greatest, when the friction coefficient is 0, the influence of the thread geometry and material parameters
curve bending degree is the lightest, the curve bending degree on the thread stiffness and also analyzes the influence of
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 13

2000 1600

1550
1950

1500
Axial load F (N)

Axial load F (N)

1900
1450
1850
1400

1800
1350

1750 1300
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Reciprocal of mesh size Reciprocal of mesh size
(a) M10×1.5×9, 𝜇=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm (b) M8×1.25×6.5, 𝜇=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm
1180

1170

1160

1150
Axial load F (N)

1140

1130

1120

1110

1100

1090
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Reciprocal of mesh size
(c) M6×1.0×6.1, u=0.08, Δ 𝑥 =0.001mm

Figure 12: Influence of the reciprocal of finite element mesh size on axial force.

the friction coefficient on the thread stiffness and axial force (4) In order to make the axial load distribution of the
distribution. thread uniform, we can reduce the friction coefficient
(1) The results of the calculation of the thread stiffness of the thread surface, but we found that the use of this
calculated by the theoretical calculation method of method to improve the distribution of the axial force
this study are basically consistent with the results of of the thread has limited effectiveness.
the FEA. The results obtained by the test are smaller
than the calculated results. This is due to the influence
of the thread manufacturing on the experimental Nomenclature
results.
𝜇: Contact surface friction coefficient
(2) Thread-stiffness is closely related to material proper- 𝑤𝑧 : Axial unit width force, N
ties, pitch, and thread length. We can obtain higher 𝛿1 : Thread bending deformation, mm
stiffness by increasing Young’s modulus of the mate- 𝛿2 : Thread shear deformation, mm
rial, increasing the length of the thread, and reducing 𝛿3 : Thread root inclination deformation, mm
the pitch. 𝛿4 : Radial direction extended deformation or
(3) We can also increase the friction coefficient of the radial shrinkage deformation, mm
thread joint surface to increase the stiffness of the 𝛿5 : Thread root shear deformation, mm
thread connection, but we have found that using this 𝐸: Bending moment of the unit load beam,
method to increase the thread stiffness is limited. N∙mm
14 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

0.125P
0.125H

a c
Screw b

Internal thread

0.25H

0.125H

External threads

H
b
Thread Screwing Length Nut a c

0.167H
0.167P
P

Figure 13: Part of experimental threaded connection samples and ISO internal thread and ISO external thread.

Collet L

Specimen

Initial State End State

Figure 14: Tensile test [1].

Mathematical Problems in Engineering 15

Unit:mm
0.0010007 Max
0.00094174
0.00088273
0.00082371
0.0007647
0.00070569
0.00064668
0.00058767
0.00052866
0.00046965
0.00041064
0.00035163
0.00029262
0.00023361
0.0001746 Min

Figure 15: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.01. Total force reaction=1086.00 N.

Unit:mm
0.0010008Max
0.00094157
0.00088239
0.0008232
0.00076402
0.00070484
0.00064566
0.00058648
0.00052729
0.00046811
0.00040893
0.00034975
0.00029056
0.00023138
0.0001722 Min

Figure 16: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.05. Total force reaction=1092.00 N.

𝑀𝑤 : Bending moment of the beam under the P: Pitch, mm

actual load, N∙mm 𝑀𝑤𝑏 : Bending moment of the screw thread,
𝐼: Area moment of inertia, mm4 N∙mm
𝐸𝑏 : Young’s modulus of the screw material, 𝛿1𝑏 : Thread bending deformation of the screw
N/mm2 thread, mm
𝑐: Length of the beam, thread pitch line 𝛿2𝑏 : Thread shear deformation of the screw
height, mm thread, mm
ℎ: Beam end section height, mm 𝛿3𝑏 : Thread root inclination deformation of the
𝐵: Beam section width, mm screw thread, mm
𝛿4𝑏 : Radial direction extended deformation of
𝛽1 : Beam root section height and the beam end
the screw thread, mm
section height ratio
𝛿5𝑏 : Thread root shear deformation of the screw
𝐵𝑏 : Ratio of the height of the screw thread
thread, mm
root section to the section height at the 𝑀𝑤𝑛 : Bending moment of the nut thread, N∙mm
middiameter 𝛿1𝑛 : Thread bending deformation of the nut
𝐵𝑛 : Ratio of the height of the nut thread thread, mm
root section to the section height at the 𝛿2𝑛 : Thread shear deformation of the nut
middiameter thread, mm
𝛿4𝑏 : Radial shrinkage deformation of the screw 𝛿3𝑛 : Thread root inclination deformation of the
thread, mm nut thread, mm
𝛿4𝑛 : Radial direction extended deformation of 𝛿4𝑛 : Radial direction extended deformation of
the nut thread, mm the nut thread, mm
𝑎: Width of the thread root, mm 𝛿5𝑛 : Thread root shear deformation of the nut
D0 : Cylinder (nut) outer diameter, mm thread, mm
dp : Effective diameter of the thread, mm 𝑓Δ : Unit force per unit width of the axial
V𝑛 : Poisson’s ratio of nut material direction
16 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

Unit:mm
0.0010008Max
0.00094147
0.00088219
0.0008229
0.00076362
0.00070433
0.00064505
0.00058576
0.00052648
0.00046719
0.00040791
0.00034862
0.00028934
0.00023005
0.00017077 Min

Figure 17: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.1. Total force reaction=1098.00 N.

Unit:mm
0.0010008Max
0.0009414
0.00088202
0.00082264
0.00076325
0.00070387
0.00064449
0.00058511
0.00052573
0.00046635
0.00040697
0.00034759
0.00028821
0.00022882
0.00016944 Min

Figure 18: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.2. Total force reaction=1108.40 N.

𝛿𝑏1 : Total deformation of external (screw) 𝜀𝑛 : At the 𝑥 position, the axial

thread, mm force is 𝐹(𝑥), the nut
𝛿𝑛1 : Total deformation of internal (nut) thread, compression amount
mm 𝐴 𝑏 (𝑥): Vertical cross-sectional
𝑧𝑏 : The load on somewhere on the x-axis is F, areas of screw at the 𝑥
where the screw thread axial deformation, position, mm2
mm 𝐴 𝑛 (𝑥): Vertical cross-sectional
𝑧𝑛 : The load on somewhere on the x-axis is areas of nut at the 𝑥
F, where the nut thread axial deformation, position, mm2
mm 𝐸𝑏 : Young’s modulus of the
𝑟: Length along the helical direction, mm screw body, N/mm2
𝛽: Lead angle of the thread, degree 𝐸𝑛 : Young’s modulus of the nut
𝑘𝑏𝑥 (𝑥): Stiffness of the unit axial length of the body, N/mm2
screw, N/mm 𝑘𝑥 (𝑥): Stiffness in the axial
direction 𝑥, N/mm
𝑘𝑛𝑥 (𝑥): Stiffness of the unit axial length of the nut,
𝐾𝑐 : Overall stiffness of the
N/mm2 threaded connection,
𝑧𝑥 : Axial total deformation of the threaded N/mm
connection, mm Δ 𝑥: Axial displacement, mm
𝑘𝑢𝑥 (𝑥): Stiffness of the unit axial length of the 𝐹𝑥 : Total axial force, N
threaded connection, N/mm2 𝐹𝑥𝑡 : Axial tension load, N
𝐹𝑏 : Total axial force (load), N 𝐾𝑡 : Overall stiffness of the
𝜀𝑏 : At the 𝑥 position, the axial force is 𝐹(𝑥), the threaded connection,
screw elongation amount N/mm
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 17

Unit:mm
0.0010008Max
0.0009437
0.00088195
0.00082253
0.0007631
0.00070368
0.00064426
0.00058484
0.00052542
0.000466
0.00040657
0.00034715
0.00028773
0.00022831
0.00016889 Min

Figure 19: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.25. Total force reaction=1110.6 N.

Unit:mm
0.0010008Max
0.00094135
0.0008819
0.00082244
0.00076299
0.00070354
0.00064409
0.00058464
0.00052519
0.00046574
0.00040628
0.00034683
0.00028738
0.00022793
0.00016848 Min

Figure 20: Axial displacement for screws with a friction coefficient of 𝜇=0.3. Total force reaction=1114.2 N.

× 106 × 106
2.05 1.16

1.14
2

1.12
Stiffness ＋＃ (N/mm)
Stiffness ＋＃ (N/mm)

1.95
1.1
1.9
1.08

1.85
1.06

1.8 1.04

1.75 1.02
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Coefficient of friction  Coefficient of friction 

FEM FEM
Theory of this article Theory of this article
Sopwith method Sopwith method

Figure 21: Effect of friction coefficient on stiffness. M10×1.5×9. Figure 22: Effect of friction coefficient on stiffness. M6×1×6.1.
18 Mathematical Problems in Engineering

100 350
90 36
300 140
80 35

Force F (N)

Force F (N)
70 250
34 135
60
Force F (N)

Force F (N)
33 200
50 130
32 150
40 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48
2.18 2.19 2.2 2.21
30 Length L (mm) 100 Length L (mm)
20
50
10
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Length L (mm) Length L (mm)

u=0 u=0
u=0.3 u=0.3
u=0.6 u=0.6
u=1 u=1
(a) Fb =100N (b) Fb =350N
600

175
500
Force F (N)

170
400
165
Force F (N)

300 160

200 2.7 2.71 2.72 2.73 2.74

Length L (mm)
100

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Length L (mm)

u=0
u=0.3
u=0.6
u=1
(c) Fb =550N

Figure 23: Effect of Friction Coefficient on Axial Force Distribution.

𝛿𝐿 : Axial deformation of the Conflicts of Interest

thread, mm
𝐻: Thread original triangle The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
high, mm.
Acknowledgments
Data Availability
The authors would like to acknowledge support from
The data used to support the findings of this study are the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant
included within the article. nos. 51675422, 51475366, and 51475146] and Science &
Mathematical Problems in Engineering 19

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