A comparative numerical study of combined cold expansion and local torsion on fastener holes

Cold expansion and local torsion processes provide controllable strengthening mechanisms for a fastener hole and therefore have engineering significance. They rely on the residual stress and the accumulated shearing strain, respectively, which are difficult to measure. Due to the complex closed form solutions for these mechanisms, their numerical study is of great importance. In this work, a combination of the cold expansion and the local torsion on a fastener hole has been investigated numerically to evaluate the amount and nature of the total accumulated residual stresses around a fastener hole. Different cases of the cold expansion and the local torsion processes were modelled and studied by finite element simulation to investigate the existence of a loading case which produces a beneficial compressive residual stress field in the vicinity of a hole. Sensitivity of the final residual stress with respect to a range of process parameters including adequate diametral interference and angle of rotation was investigated.