THREE-DIMENSIONAL THERMOELASTIC CONTACT BETWEEN TWO PLATES WITH BOLTED JOINTS

This paper presents a three-dimensional finite element procedure for the thermoelastic contact problem of two plates with bolted joints. The thermal contact conductance at the interface between two plates, which is a known function of contact traction, is considered in heat transfer analysis. A rigorous and efficient contact mechanics analysis between two plates and bolted joints is also achieved. A bolted lap joint in two 6061-T6 aluminum alloy plates subjected to a heat transfer, where on one side of a joint heat is generated and the other side acts as a heat sink, is selected as the research problem. The distribution of temperature and contact traction between the two-plate interface is also shown. The results computed by the present approach show a good agreement with the referenced experimental data. The present work should aid the design of many mechanical systems.