Bickford/Introduction to the Design and Behavior of Bolted Joints 8176_C002 Final Proof page 28 26.7.

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28 Introduction to the Design and Behavior of Bolted Joints

100

Residual stress (percentage of initial stress)

B8

B17B
75

B8M

50
B80A

B7 B16
25 Carbon
steel

0
0 100 300 500 700
Temperature (°C)

FIGURE 2.3 Stress relaxation of petrochemical bolting materials as a function of service temperature.
Exposure in each case was for 1000 h at the temperatures shown. (From Standard BS 4882:1973, British
Standards Institution, London, 1973.)

Stress relaxation, on the other hand, involves the slow shredding of load (stress) by a part
under constant deflection (strain). A bolt which has been tightened into a joint, for example,
is held in a constant, stretched condition by the joint members. The initial tension in the bolt
will gradually disappear if stress relaxation occurs. Again, high temperature encourages the
process. So stress relaxation is another possible source of ‘‘instability’’ of the clamping force
created on the joint when we first tightened those bolts.
We’ll look at stress relaxation in Chapter 11. As we’ll see, it’s only a problem at elevated
temperatures.
Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3 give data on stress relaxation for a number of fastener materials.
Data in Table 2.3 are from BS 4882 on petrochemical bolting materials [20].
Figure 2.3 shows the residual stress in a bolt after 1000 h of exposure to the temperatures
shown. As an example, a carbon steel bolt will lose approximately 30% (retain 70%) of its
initial preload if exposed to 3008C for 1000 h. The material references in Figure 2.3, B7, B8,
B8M, and B16, are from BS 4882:1973 and correspond to equivalent materials in ASTM A193.

TABLE 2.3
Stress Relaxation High-Temperature Service Limit
Material (from BS 4882) Temperature

Carbon Steel 5728F (3008C)

Mild Steel 5728F (3008C)
B7 7528F (4008C)
B16 9328F (5008C)
B16 9688F (5208C)
B8, B8T, B8C 10678F (5758C)
B8M 11128F (6008C)
B17 12028F (6508C)
B80A 13828F (7508C)