On the use of the Equivalent Material Concept to predict tensile load-bearing capacity of ductile steel bolts containing V-shaped threads

The equivalent material concept (EMC), proposed recently by the author for predicting the tensile load-bearing capacity of ductile metallic materials weakened by V-notches, was utilized together with the mean stress (MS) criterion to estimate the experimentally obtained maximum loads that several ductile steel bolts with V-shaped threads can sustain. It was found that the MS–EMC criterion could estimate the experimental results successfully. By using the MS–EMC model, one can obtain well the tensile load-bearing capacity of V-threaded ductile steel bolts without conducting tensile fracture test.

► Tensile load-bearing capacity of ductile steel bolts was predicted by MS–EMC model.
► The MS–EMC criterion is valid for those metallic materials having valid KIc values.
► MS–EMC theory may be valid for ductile bolts with both small and large plasticity.
► One can predict the load-bearing capacity of bolts without conducting fracture test.