Mechanical analysis of a hexagonal joint

A hexagonal joint is mechanically analysed. A cross section of the receding contact between the male and female components is modelled as a plane strain problem. Particular attention is paid to the effect of the presence of fillets in the hexagonal male. Finite Element (FE) results show that, for each side of the hexagonal contact, the contact zone constitutes a small portion of the length of the hexagonal side, and separation occurs elsewhere. The normalized peak contact pressure and the contact length along the male sides are numerically evaluated.