Analysis of the Local Deformations in Machine Joints

This paper presents a general method for calculating the pressure distribution and the deformations in machine joints. This method assumes that the components of the joint are connected through finite elements which are defined as a function of the surface finish, material and pressure at the apparent area of contact. The system so established is solved in an iterative manner using the finite-element method, obtaining, as a final result, the pressure distribution at the contacting surfaces of the components and the deformations of the surrounding body. To prove the validity and precision of the theoretical formulation, several examples of joints are considered where the correlation between the calculated and measured deflections is shown to be good.