A new approach for calculating the stiffness of bolted connections

The stiffness of bolted joint influences the transfer of initial preload and operating force. The determination of stiffness without the gasket is fairly difficult to obtain, because the compression region spreads out between the bolt head and the nut. Bolted joints including bolts and members act as elastic springs under operating conditions. The affected area is not uniform. The stiffness of the bolted joints can be determined using finite element analysis and soft computing techniques. The prediction of the non-dimensional joint stiffness is developed in this paper by using genetic algorithm methods. The proposed model was in good agreement with the experimental results and previous literature and may be considered as a simple and suitable guideline for the design of bolted joints.