Force Applied onto a Mounting Hole

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the force applied to mounting holes in an aluminum plate when a torque is applied to a component attached to it. The focus is on the calculations necessary to ensure the plate's thickness is adequate for the expected loads, involving concepts of bearing stress and shear tear out stress.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about calculating the force on four mounting holes due to a torque of 35 Ib.in applied to a shaft connected to a component mounted on a 0.1" thick aluminum plate.
  • Another participant suggests that if the screw holes are symmetrically arranged, the force on each hole can be calculated as Torque / (r*4 holes), but notes that this assumes equal distribution of forces, which may not be accurate. They propose that a more reasonable approach is to assume only 2 screws react to the torque, leading to Force = Torque / (r*2 holes).
  • A participant mentions that once the force is determined, the adequacy of the plate thickness can be assessed by calculating bearing stress and shear tear out stress, offering assistance for these calculations.
  • Another participant reiterates the method for calculating bearing stress and shear tear out stress, providing formulas for each and suggesting limiting the stresses to 40% of the yield strength of the plate.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying assumptions about the distribution of forces among the screws, with some suggesting equal distribution and others proposing that only a subset of screws may react to the torque. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact method for calculating the forces and stresses involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the importance of the arrangement of the screw holes and their distance from the edges of the plate, which may affect the calculations. There is also a reference to typical yield strength limits for the material, but specific values are not provided.

numenor260
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Hi everyone:

I have an 0.1" thick aluminum plate. I am mounting a component to the plate using four 8-32 screws.

During use, this component will see a torque of about 35 Ib.in applied onto a shaft that is connected to it.

How do I determine the force that is applied onto the four mounting holes?

I really want to make sure the plate thickness is sufficient.

Thank you for any guidance.
 
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Assuming the screw holes are symmetrically arranged around the shaft's center-line at a radius of 'r', then the load on each would be Force = Torque / (r*4 holes). That assumes the forces on the screws will be equally divided, which is not likely. A more reasonable assumption would be to assume that only 2 screws react the torque, then the Force = Torque / (r*2 holes).
 
Once you have found this force, you can check if the plate is thick enough (and the holes are far enough away from the edge) by computing the "bearing stress" and the "shear tear out" stress. Let me know if you need any help with these.
 
edgepflow said:
Once you have found this force, you can check if the plate is thick enough (and the holes are far enough away from the edge) by computing the "bearing stress" and the "shear tear out" stress. Let me know if you need any help with these.

Thanks very much for your response. Yes, I would like help with this.
 
DickL said:
Assuming the screw holes are symmetrically arranged around the shaft's center-line at a radius of 'r', then the load on each would be Force = Torque / (r*4 holes). That assumes the forces on the screws will be equally divided, which is not likely. A more reasonable assumption would be to assume that only 2 screws react the torque, then the Force = Torque / (r*2 holes).

Thanks for your response. The hole are only symmetric about the horizontal axis.
 
numenor260 said:
Thanks very much for your response. Yes, I would like help with this.

Compute the bearing stress as follows:

bearing stress = force / ( screw diameter X plate thickness)

Compute the shear tear out stress as follows:

shear tear out stress = force / (2 X plate thickness X distance from hole edge to plate edge)

Then limit these calculated stresses to 40% of the yield stength of the plate (typical for shear).
 

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