Methods of Measuring/Estimating Clamp-Load in a Bolted Joint
by G. Oliveira, PCL Tork Technologies
When an engineer designs a bolted-joint, several variables are accounted for. One, being the fact that in the vast majority of applications, assembling loads cannot be measured and monitored during assembly. That forces processes to rely on a not-always consistent Torque x Load relationship, adding variables to the process such as the torque tool’s accuracy, quality of parts and others. At the end, we have no more than an estimation of the achieved loads.