Fasteners

[DT_10279004]

Good morning to the whole community. My name is Daniele and I'm an entry level in PTC Creo, especially Creo Simulate. Let me to make a question, please. If in Simulate I have to connect more than two parts with the fasteners (as in image 1 attached-in this case there are 3 parts), it is possible to insert the fastener by selecting a edges from part 1 and a edge part 3 and then insert the contact interfaces with the type interfaces free between parts 1-2 and 2-3?

Is it possible to connect more than two parts with the with fasteners in Creo Simulate?

What is the best practice?

Many thanks in advance

[Chris3 · Accepted solution]

Its been a while since I used the Simulate fasteners but the last time I used them they had a limitation of just 2 parts.

You can get around this by making your own springs or beams and then connecting them. How you do this is highly dependent on the type of joint you have and what you are trying to determine with the analysis. For instance are you trying to just pull out fastener margins or are you worried about preload stresses?

One way to pull out the loads would be to have a point in part #2 that is tied to the hole ID with a rigid connection and then 2 springs per fastener that then go from that point out to parts 1 and 3.

[DT_10279004]

Thank you Chris3 for your answer. For the question that depend on type of joint I've model, I'm trying to adjust a physical model of a satellite (image_1). This model seems to have (or at least for me - image_2) complex type of joint. There are multiple joined parts with screw and pin.

The whole structure  will be subject to inertial forces and thermal loads. My first idea was to modify the physical fastener (length and diameter) and then put thread on both fastener and hole.

[Chris3]

I am not sure exactly what your question is but if you are using springs then you just define the spring such that it has an axial stiffness for the axial loads and then for any pins you define the spring so that it has lateral stiffness to pull out the shear loads. Pulling out the loads needs to be done with a measure feature. Also if you are not familiar with using springs and bolted joints, you need to make the faying surfaces a "free" interface. When you use the Simulate fastener it does this for you but if you are defining springs yourself then you need to add in that free interface so the surfaces don't get bonded or welded together.