This article presents a seemingly trivial subject but which has become today, with the application of European and national standards, "sufficiently" complex to require the use of automatic calculation programs to obtain a quick answer on the most appropriate verification method (elastic or plastic) at SLU or SLS, while at the same time seeking a comparison with the old but reliable method of allowable stresses.

The European standard EN 1993-1-8 and the national standard NTC 2008 address the topic of simple bolted joints in a few lines and in a summary table that hides different interpretations especially with regard to the resistance to rebonding and the overall behavior of the joint often at odds with the official rules of European technical committees such as SN 017-NCCI.
Moreover, nothing is said about how the plastic calculation should be carried out except to ensure the balance of forces inside and outside the joint and the ductility of the components.

The article includes a practical example of validation of an automatic calculation software called "JointBull," commented and criticized.

Shear-resistant bolted joint