A study on propagation of elastic waves in steel bolted joints

The paper presents experimental and numerical analysis of elastic waves propagation in bolted connection of two steel plates. Numerical calculations were carried out using finite element method in two stages. In the first stage, static behavior of the joint during bolts compression was analyzed. Results of static analysis were used to formulate contact conditions for dynamic models. The analysis of wave propagation was taken for four types of bolt connection model. Finally, experimental tests by using a laser vibrometer and piezoelectric actuator were made in order to validate finite element models.