ABSTRACT
In this paper, a non-contact FE model of much higher efficiency is developed. Firstly, the analytical model for the nonlinear axial stiffness of the bolted flange joints is derived. Then, nonlinear spring elements are adopted to represent the axial stiffness of the joint interface and replace the contact pairs to construct the non-contact model. Finally, taking a bolted disk-drum joint specimen as an example, the simulation results from the 3D contact model and the non-contact model are compared to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the non-contact model. The comparisons reveal that the non-contact model proposed here shows both accuracy and high computational efficiency.
