A Review of the Fatigue Strength of Shear Bolted Connections

Steel bolted connections are the typical joints used in civil engineering but also in the field of mechanical engineering. In particular, slip-resistant bolted connections are those most used in bridge construction. In these applications, bolted joints are subjected to a cyclic load that arises from traffic flow. It is well known that joints are the critical components of constructions subjected to cyclic loads, due to stress concentration that causes fatigue crack initiation. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of considerations, from principal scientific studies of fatigue strength and the behaviour of bolted joints, as well as an up-to-date comprehensive assessment for future development. In particular, a discussion is proposed regarding the parameters that influence the fatigue of bolted joints. The paper concludes with a summary of the major results reported in terms of S–N curves.