Why Your Fastener Modelling Strategy Deserves Careful Consideration

Bolted connections appear in nearly every structural model, yet no single approach represents them correctly in all cases. The choice between continuum elements, connectors, or mesh independent fasteners affects mesh complexity, computation time, and the accuracy of stress results near the fastener alike. Selecting the wrong approach for a given problem can lead to unnecessary modelling effort, or worse, misleading results in precisely the area that matters most.

Training Focus

In this online training, 12Simulate walks through the main strategies available in Abaqus for modelling fastened members and fasteners, comparing their strengths and tradeoffs directly. We examine how fastened members can be represented as shell or continuum, with or without holes, and how fasteners themselves can be modeled using continuum elements, connectors (beam type), or mesh independent point-based fasteners. Real comparison results, including stress, plastic strain, and bolt load, are shown side by side across these approaches.

Topics Covered

• Modelling fastened members: shell versus continuum, with or without holes

• Fastener element types: continuum, connector (beam), and mesh independent fasteners

• Fastener to member interface: contact, tie constraint, and coupling constraint

• Mesh independent point-based fasteners in Abaqus/CAE

• Boundary conditions and bolt loading strategies per fastener type

• Preloading approaches: bolt preload section, fix at current length, reference length

• Relevant output requests: stress, bolt load (CF, RF, TF), and connector output

• Direct comparison of continuum, connector, and mesh independent results (stress, plastic strain, bolt load)

• Threaded contact for small sliding contact

• Setting up fasteners in Abaqus/CAE

• Point based mesh independent fasteners: attachment points, connector section, fastener definition

• Auto generated distributing couplings and connector elements

• Handling complex setups with multiple connector elements

• Continuum bolts: preload section, internal or cylindrical surface, part versus assembly level

Who Should Attend?

• Simulation engineers modelling bolted or fastened structural connections

• Abaqus users looking to reduce model complexity without sacrificing result accuracy

• Anyone needing reliable bolt load or stress output from a fastened assembly model

Prerequisite

• 12Simulate Abaqus customer