Hybrid Thermoelastic Stress Analysis of a Pinned Joint

Mechanical joints such as bolted or pinned connections are commonly used to fasten mechanical or structural members together. Inadequate knowledge of the stresses at the edge of the loaded holes can render it difficult to stress analyze such mechanical fasteners theoretically or numerically. Thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) is utilized here to analyze a plane-stressed pin-loaded plate. The approach combines the recorded temperature information with an Airy stress function, plus imposes the traction-free conditions on the non-contacting edge of the hole and on the external boundaries of the plate. Individual components of stress are determined full-field as well as on the pin-plate interface. In addition to agreeing with the frequently assumed interface contact stresses in mechanical connections having zero clearance, the TSA results satisfy force equilibrium, are compatible with residual markings on the contacted surfaces of the pin and the hole, and correlate with FEM predictions. Significant advantages of TSA here include neither needing to know the elastic modulus nor to differentiate the recorded information.