Brittle fracture of high-strength bolts of large diameters at low temperatures

High-strength structural bolting assemblies of the system HV are executed as preloaded bolting assemblies in highly loaded steel structures. More often these bolting assemblies are used up to M72 e.g. in wind energy towers. In addition to static and fatigue loads, these connections are exposed to low temperatures. In case of equal boundary conditions, the risk of brittle fracture increases with increasing thickness of the steel material. In principle, this relation also applies to increasing bolt diameters. Since no systematic investigations into the tendency to brittle fracture of high-strength bolts with large diameter exist and the choice of steel material to avoid brittle fracture of high-strength bolts is not covered in EN 1993-1-10, high-strength bolts of large diameters are made of higher alloyed steels. In the frame of the IGF-project "Brittle Fracture of High-Strength Bolts of Large Diameters at Low Temperatures" systematic investigations into the low temperature behaviour of high-strength bolts of the system HV were carried out for bolt diameters from M24 to M64 to assess the risk of brittle fracture for these components. This article presents the main results and conclusions achieved in the research project.