Modeling and Validation of the Nonlinear Dynamic Behavior of Bolted Flange Joints

Abstract

Linear dynamic finite element analysis can be considered very reliable today for the design of aircraft engine components. Unfortunately, when these individual components are built into assemblies, the level of confidence in the results is reduced since the joints in the real structure introduce nonlinearity that cannot be reproduced with a linear model. Certain types of nonlinear joints in an aircraft engine, such as underplatform dampers and blade roots, have been investigated in great detail in the past, and their design and impact on the dynamic response of the engine is now well understood. With this increased confidence in the nonlinear analysis, the focus of research now moves towards other joint types of the engine that must be included in an analysis to allow an accurate prediction of the engine behavior. One such joint is the bolted flange, which is present in many forms on an aircraft engine. Its main use is the connection of different casing components to provide the structural support and gas tightness to the engine. This flange type is known to have a strong influence on the dynamics of the engine carcase. A detailed understanding of the nonlinear mechanisms at the contact is required to generate reliable models and this has been achieved through a combination of an existing nonlinear analysis capability and an experimental technique to accurately measure the nonlinear damping behavior of the flange. Initial results showed that the model could reproduce the correct characteristics of flange behavior, but the quantitative comparison was poor. From further experimental and analytical investigations it was identified that the quality of the flange model is critically dependent on two aspects: the steady stress/load distribution across the joint and the number and distribution of nonlinear elements. An improved modeling approach was developed that led to a good correlation with the experimental results and a good understanding of the underlying nonlinear mechanisms at the flange interface.

Predicting Damping of a Cantilever Beam With a Bolted Joint Using Quasi-Static Modal Analysis

“…Next, contact was enabled along the full length of the beams with a coefficient of friction µ = 0.6 [24]. Abaqus allows several methods for addressing the tangential and normal behavior of contact, where the default method is a Penalty method in both directions.…”

Numerical and experimental investigation of the torsional stiffness of flexible disc couplings

“…It requires input parameters for the contact surfaces, such as friction coefficient and contact stiffness. Schwingshackl et al [19] took advantage of the third approach to consider good nonlinear modeling practice and obtain the required nonlinear data. Kim et al [20] introduced four kinds of finite element models to investigate modelling techniques for bolted joints.…”

Dynamic Characteristics of the Flange Joint with a Snap in Aero-Engine

“…Thus, scholars studied nonlinear stiffness and energy dissipation of joint. [8][9][10][11] Since there are several bolts distributing in the joint, the characteristic of bolted joints has a great influence on the stiffness of the joint. Existing researches point out that hysteresis appears whenthe bolt was under the transverse harmonic load.…”