DEVELOPMENT OF A DESIGN TOOL FOR OPTIMIZATION OF THE NUMBER, SIZE, AND FLANGE GEOMETRY OF THE BOLTS USED IN ASSEMBLING CYLINDRICAL BODIES

Zekeriya Bugra Koksal and Erdem Acar

In this study, a bolt design optimization tool is developed for optimization of the flange geometry and the bolts used in cylindrical structures. Firstly, a bolt design tool is developed by using classical bolt-member theories and NASA procedures, since the code is aimed to be used in rocket bodies. The accuracy of the developed design tool is validated by comparing it to finite element analysis using ABAQUS. Then, an optimization tool is built by using MATLAB. Finally, the performance of the bolt design optimization tool is validated using example problems in the literature and a user interface is designed for the code.

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