KEVOS® MAKEOS · Fasteners
Bolt and Pin Shear and Bearing
Are these bolts or pins strong enough in shear and bearing for this load?
Shear stress in bolts, dowels or clevis pins in single or double shear and the bearing stress on the plate, compared with allowable values.
Open the calculatorRuns in your browser. No account needed.
How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Total load | N | Total shear load on the group (equal sharing assumed). |
| Number of bolts or pins | fasteners | Number of fasteners sharing the load. |
| Shear planes per fastener | choice | Single shear for a lap joint; double shear for a clevis or pin between two plates. |
| Diameter at the shear plane | mm | Diameter where the shear plane cuts: the shank diameter, or the thread minor diameter if threads are in the shear plane. |
| Thinnest plate thickness in bearing | mm | Thickness of the thinnest plate (or the sum of the two outer plates in double shear, whichever is smaller). |
| Allowable shear stress | MPa | Allowable shear stress of the fastener material from your design code. |
| Allowable bearing stress | MPa | Allowable bearing stress on the plate from your design code. |
Method and formulas
- Shear τ = F ÷ (n × planes × πd²/4).
- Bearing σ_b = F ÷ (n d t).
- Utilisation = stress ÷ allowable; the larger governs.
- Example: 20000 N on 2 × 10 mm bolts in single shear gives τ = 127.32 MPa and bearing 125 MPa.
Limitations
- Equal load sharing; eccentric groups and slip-critical (friction) joints need other methods.
- Edge distance, net-section tension and block shear of the plates are not checked.
- Example values are illustrations. Replace them with values for your actual task.
Typical uses
- Check clevis pins, hinge pins and dowels
- Check bolted lap and splice joints in shear
- Choose pin size and plate thickness
Who it is for
- Design engineers
- Maintenance fitters
- Quality inspectors
What you get
- Shear stress and its ratio to allowable
- Bearing stress and its ratio to allowable
- Governing mode
Interpreting the result
- Keep threads out of the shear plane, or use the minor diameter.
References
- Machinery’s Handbook, 29th edition (Industrial Press, 2012), printed pp. 1535, 1720–1735. Topic reference; no source tables or recommended settings are reproduced.
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