Research on the tightening force consistency of aero-engine rotor flange bolt connection

Purpose This paper presents a torque-angle control method aimed at enhancing the consistency of tightening force in bolt connection for aero-engine rotor flanges and a spectral confocal displacement sensor test system has been developed to achieve high-resolution measurement of bolt tightening force. Design/methodology/approach The mechanism of tightening force in a single bolt is explained through tightening experiments. An experiment on bolt tightening under varying lubrication conditions demonstrates the effectiveness of the torque-angle method in achieving consistent tightening force for a single bolt. A spectral confocal displacement sensor test system has been developed to achieve high-resolution measurement of the preload of a group of 48 bolts. Findings It was determined that the mean deviation of tightening force using the torque-angle control method under fully lubricated conditions was only 0.257 kN. The tightening force of the multiple bolts remains consistently has good consistency using the torque-angle control method and spectral confocal displacement sensor test system. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses on the measurement analysis and the subsequent need to optimize the process method. Originality/value This paper presents a torque-angle control method and a spectral confocal displacement sensor test method to regulate and measure the tightening force of multiple bolts.