Where and Why is the Prestressing Force of Bolted Joints Lost?
Answering question in the title requires seriously means thoroughly knowing the behavior of bolted joints during assembly and in operation. Does a bolted joint represent a steady state after successful tightening, indicating the exact value of the required assembly force, a fixed status quo? If not, what is actually going on there? Not only the designer, but also the user needs to know the complete truth. What processes take place in threaded joints after their assembly, what affects them, what impact do they have on the safety of the final structure? These are the questions that this article will try to answer.