Numerical study of a blind bolted connection between an aluminum bridge deck and steel girders

This article concerns the behaviour of two blind bolt types, Ajax One side and Blind Oversize Mechanically (BOM), used to connect a multi-void aluminum bridge deck on its supporting steel girders. An extensive numerical simulation by FEM was performed to evaluate the connection behaviour against the Canadian Highway Bridge Design standard CSA S6-19. The main objective was to examine the assembly against fretting and quantify its impact at the contact zone over several load cycles. A special numerical model was developed for the prediction of fretting, and validated with analytical results and other observations reported in the literature. The model was used to analyze the fretting for each bolt at the surface of contact between the bolt head and the aluminum plate. Results of the study revealed that the blind bolts will lead to a few micrometers of wear, while for the standard bolt, a probable crack developments associated with minor wear may occur at the contact area.

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