Threads and Their Strength

 Thread Forms, Profiles, Series

 Thread Allowance, Tolerance, and Class
 Thread Nomenclature
 Coarsevs. Fine vs. Constant-Pitch
Threads
 The Strength of Threads vs Nuts
 Other Factors Affecting Strength
 Thread Forms and Profiles
 Hundreds exist
 Thread Forms and Profiles
 Hundreds exist
 Only a few are Common
 Unified Thread Forms
 Most Common in Western World (all = 60o)
 Unified Thread Forms
 Inch forms
 Included Angle is 60o
 UN form is flat bottom, maybe, maybe not some
root rounding
 UNR form must have slight rounding
 UNJ form has generous rounding

 Metric forms
 Included Angle is 60o
 M form must have slight root rounding
 MJ form has generous rounding
 Metric and inch form definition methods differ
 Basic Thread Profile
Standards - UN/UNR/M

 UN/UNR -
ASME B1.1,
FED Std H
28/2B
 M- ASME
B1.13 and
B1.18
(Commercial)
 Basic Thread Profile
Standards - UNJ/MJ
 UNJ - MIL - S-8879F
 MJ - ASME B1.22
 UN/UNR/M Vs UNJ/MJ
 The difference is in the Root
 Constant Pitch Thread Series
 All UN/UNR/M & UNJ/MJ Series are Constant Pitch
 Threads per inch (TPI) define the thread helix
 4, 6, 8 12, 16, 20, 28, &32 threads per inch are defined.
 There are also Coarse, Fine, Extra Fine and “Special”
Series that have different TPI depending on diameter.
These “coarseness” designations are:
 UNC, UNCR, UNCJ
 UNF, UNFR, UNFJ
 UNEF, UNEFR, UNEFJ
 UNS, UNSR, UNSJ
 Metric threads are generally the same but only coarse
and fine. Use pitch in mm rather than TPI
 Thread Allowance,
Tolerance, and Class
 Fit of male and female parts is further means
of thread classification
 Loose or tight? How specified?
 Inch and metric series similar but
nomenclature different
 Fit is combination of:
 Thread allowance: The minimum
clearance
 Tolerance: Permitted variation of the
allowance
Thread Allowance and Tolerance

 Allowance plus
tolerance -
minimum
material in both
parts
 Allowance only
- maximum
material in both
parts
 Thread Classes
 Three "classes" apply to Unified threads.
 1A, 2A and 3A for male threads and
 1B, 2B and 3B for female threads.
 1A/B are the loosest fit; 3A/B are the tightest

 Class 1A, 1B threads -

Used for rough work where damage or dirt expected.
Easiest to assemble.

 Class 2A, 2B threads -

Used for most "normal" applications. Found in the
hardware store.

 Class 3A and 3B fasteners -

Used for applications requiring an extra precision.
 Thread Classes … continued

 Class 1A and 2A threads have the same

allowance
 More generous tolerances placed on the 1s
than on the 2s, so the average fit is looser for
1s.
 Class 3 threads have "zero allowance." A
small tolerance on each thread makes
assembly possible.
Thread Allowance and Tolerance

 Allowance plus
tolerance -
minimum
material in both
parts

Allowance only
= 0 for Class 3
Thread Strength Factors
 Nut Dilation - if nut walls are thin
thread wedge action dilates nut and
reduces engagement. (see fig 3.7)
 Friction - low friction increases nut
dilation and thread bending.
 Motion - dynamic friction < static
friction. Stripping likely while turning
nut
 Nut Vs Bolt Relative Strength.
Thread Strength-Nut Vs Bolt

 Nut is usually stronger than bolt.

 Driven by standards.
 Good to have bolt fail.
 Itis possible to figure which is
stronger.
 Good to know for blind threads
Nut Stronger than Bolt
 Complex form
Nut Material Stronger than Bolt

A Simple formula is good enough

Simple form per Std H28
Ats = Es (5Le/8) (3.4)

Ats = Shear area at root of bolt threads

Es = nominal external (bolt) thread diameter
Le = length of engagement for full strength
Bolt Material Stronger than Nut

Simple form per Std H28

Ats = En (3Le/4) (3.7)

Ats = Shear area at root of nut threads

En = minimum pitch diameter of nut
Le = length of engagement for full strength
Nut and Bolt Materials Equal

Simple form per Std H28

Ats = Es (Le/2) (3.8)
Le = 4 As/(Es) (3.9)

Ats = Shear area at root of bolt threads

Es = nominal external (bolt) thread diameter
As = Tensile stress area
Thread Strength Adjustments

 Nutdilation
strength
reduction
(Fig 3.7)

 Nutthread
bending
reduction
(Fig 3.8)
Other Strength Loss Thread Factors
 Tapered
thread
 Out of
round
 drunken
(wavy)
 Angle miss-
match
 Pitch
difference