Design of Bolted L-Flanged Connections

In wind turbine towers the preferred design is circular tubes that are connected to each other by a bolted flange joint. The design is typically that of an L-flange resulting in an eccentrically loaded bolted connection. The eccentricity results in a non-linear relationship between external load on the tower and the tensile force in the bolt. In the literature and also in design standards different models are presented for this important non-linear response. The present work presents a simplified expression for the non-linear force response based on finite element calculations using contact analysis. Secondly, focus is on simple modifications of the flange design that considerably improves the strength of the connection.