Multiphysics Contact Modeling Bolt Pretension and Gasket modeling

This example consists of the cylinder head cover and a small portion of the lower part of the cylinder head (see above). Both the cover and the lower part are made of steel. A thin gasket layer seals the joint between the cover and the lower part. The joint is fastened by two steel bolts. The assembly is loaded in six stages. In the first two stages, the fastening of the joint is simulated by applying a pretension of 12 kN to each of the bolts. After the bolts have been loaded, the three-stage thermal/structural loading cycle starts. First, the base of the assembly is heated to 200°C, while an interior pressure of 1.2 MPa is simultaneously applied to the cover and the lower part of the assembly. Next, the base is cooled down to -20°C, while retaining the interior pressure. In the fifth stage, the pressure is removed and the temperature of the base is increased again to room temperature of 20°C. The final loadcase of the analysis consists of disassembling the joint by loosening the bolts.