Investigating the Correlation Between Corrosion-Induced Bolt Head Damage and Preload Loss Using Ultrasonic Testing

The integrity of bolted components primarily relies on the quality of interfacial contact, which is achieved by maintaining prescribed bolt torque levels. However, challenges arise from corrosion-induced bolt head damage, potentially compromising the bolt preload, and quantifying such effects remains unanswered. Many studies often compare bolt corrosion's effects to bolt loosening as both affect the interfacial contact stresses to some extent. This technical study aimed to investigate whether a correlation exists between the impact of bolt head damage and the different levels of bolt torque. Guided wave ultrasonic testing (UT) was implemented for this investigation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to monitor the transmission of ultrasonic signals across the bolted interface first during the bolt-tightening process. Once the highest bolt torque was achieved, the process was repeated for a simplified corrosion scenario, simulated by artificially damaging the bolt head in a controlled manner. The analysis focused on studying the transmission of signal energy for both scenarios. The findings revealed different trends for the signal energy transmission during bolt tightening, which are subjective to the inspection frequency. On the contrary, even at an advanced level of bolt head damage corresponding to 16% mass loss, no clear or monotonic trend was observed in the total transmitted energy. While the total energy remained relatively stable across all inspection frequencies, distinct waveform changes, such as energy redistribution and the emergence of additional wave packets, were observed. The findings emphasize the need for more advanced waveform-based analysis techniques to detect and interpret subtle changes caused by bolt degradation.