Finite element analysis of a threaded connection compared to experimental and theoretical research

It is generally accepted that the first three engaged threads in a threaded connection carry most of the load. Many modern textbooks simply state this fact with little mathematical development or with references to theory presented in previous publications. Although numerous scholarly investigations of load distribution in threaded connections have been published over the last sixty years, understanding of this distribution is still incomplete. However, in a computer lab exercise in an Advanced Machine Design course, seniors in the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) baccalaureate program at Penn State-Erie were assigned this problem. The students, who previously had completed two courses in the application of finite element analysis (FEA), were capable of this assignment. This paper presents the findings of this study and discusses the various approaches taken in performing the analysis. The instructor's solution is also included.