Pulling Apart a Press-Fitted Joint

Abstract

Many locking devices consist of a rigid plug inserted into an annular cylindrical, rod-like body. In this paper, a one-dimensional model is developed for the resulting press-fit. This model assumes that the body is non-linearly elastic and is used to examine the mechanism by which the plug can be pulled from the rod-like body. Specifically, we find that this mechanism depends on a delicate balance between the pulling force, the deformed state of the rod-like body, and the friction holding the joint together. The application of the one-dimensional model to related problems involving press-fits is also discussed.