Using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 you can add fastener connections in structural simulation that can provide assembly connectivity/load transfers and baseline connection design feedback. In this tip, you will find out how to apply bolted connections and interpret the results.

The following three types of bolts can be defined:

1. Screw Fastener

2. Through Bolt in Solids

3. Through Bolts in Shells

Additional settings allow for basic and advanced bolts. Stiffness for basic bolts is defined by material and diameter. Advanced bolts support the following attributes:

• Bolt Stiffness may be defined using a bolt diameter and material property or by specifying a spring stiffness property (Kxx is axial, Kyy=Kzz is normal)

• Bolt Specific Measures Automatically created:

Tensile Force (Only if Preload is defined)

Tensile Stress (Only if Preload is defined)

Shear Force

Shear Stress

Separation Area Stress – If “Fix Separation” is set, let’s you know if the bolt is in tension. More details in Screw Fastener Description

Screw Fasteners (Blind Bolts)

• Fasteners are where the bolt holds two components together, with the fastener threaded into one of the two components (Figure 1)
• The references are the edges of the two holes in the components to be joined together (Figure 2)
• The “head” of the bolt is created where the first curve is selected
• The second curve selected is the “top” of the hole that the bolt threads into
• The two parts may be touching (no gap) and a “free connection” will be automatically added at the interface to keep them from merging

Bolt Fasteners in Solids (Through Bolts)

• Bolt fasteners (through bolts) are fasteners that connect two components together, with a bolt and a nut

• The references are the edges of the two holes in the components to be joined

The “head” of the bolt is created where the first curve is selected
The second curve selected is where the nut rests against the second component (Figure 3)

• The two parts may be touching (no gap) and a “free connection” will be automatically added at the interface to keep them from merging

Bolt Fasteners in Shells

• Bolt fasteners (through bolts) are fasteners that connect two components together, with a bolt and a nut in shell models (quilts or models that will be mid-surface-compressed)

• The references are the points

Selection order is not important

• There must be a gap between the parts if they are quilts; fasteners cannot be zero-length

 The following example shows how to add screw connections to flanges (see Figure 4):

In this case we can apply cyclic symmetry and mirror symmetry since the assembly is axially symmetric and the blue pipe is also symmetric about the center plane (Figure 5). In Figure 6 a pressure load of 10 N/mm2 is applied to the inside surface of the ‘pipe’.

Now the bolt fastener can be applied to the hole. We will select a simple bolt fastener first. Notice how the outside edges of the hole going through the two parts are selected. In this case this is a bolt and nut fastener in a thru hole (Figure 7).

Figure 1


Figure 2


Figure 3


Figure 4


Figure 5


Figure 6


Figure 7


Figure 8


Figure 9


Figure 10


Figure 11