A Review of Mechanical Degradation, Interfacial Nonlinear Dynamics and Multi-Bolt Coupling Degradation Mechanisms of Flange-Bolted Joints

Bolted flange joints are critical load-bearing connection components of complex mechanical equipment, whose service performance is dominated by the coupled evolution of bolt preload relaxation and interfacial stiffness degradation under long-term cyclic combined loads. Under cyclic transverse excitation, the contact interfaces experience successive full-stick, partial microslip and macroslip states, accompanied by embedding, creep and friction-induced wear, resulting in time-varying preload attenuation and the continuous degradation of joint mechanical properties. Distinguishing preload relaxation without nut rotation from rotational self-loosening is essential for revealing multi-bolt flange degradation mechanisms. This paper presents a systematic review of physics-driven constitutive modeling and degradation characterization of bolted flange connections. A unified classification framework for joint interface models is established, covering static friction models; velocity-dependent dynamic friction models; hysteresis stick–slip models, represented by the four-parameter Iwan model and Valanis endochronic model; and reduced-order equivalent joint models. The inherent differences between the Dahl model and LuGre model regarding the Stribeck velocity–friction characteristics are clarified. The representative models are comprehensively evaluated from the perspectives of physical interpretability, hysteresis reproduction accuracy, preload–degradation correlation and engineering applicability. A further comparative analysis is conducted of parameter identification bottlenecks of the Iwan, LuGre and Valanis models, focusing on multi-solution risk, anti-noise robustness and cross-working-condition transferability. Compared with single-bolt lap specimens, multi-bolt annular flanges exhibit prominent inter-bolt elastic interaction, circumferential contact pressure non-uniformity and local-to-global chain-reaction degradation behaviors. The common experimental test-beds and sensing techniques for joint degradation monitoring are summarized, and the measurement limitations, including sensor drift, synchronization error and installation constraints, and their influences on model parameter identification, are discussed. The existing machine-learning, digital-twin and physics-informed modeling applications for bolted joints are briefly outlined. Finally, this review summarizes the existing research consensus, unresolved contradictions and open research challenges. Special attention is paid to the limitations of existing time-variant Iwan-type models for multi-bolt flange degradation. Potential future research directions include multi-channel synchronous sensing matching time-varying constitutive models, quantification of inter-bolt load redistribution, and robust identification strategies under noisy experimental data.