In last week's blog, we discussed the science behind bolted connections. Specifically their response when subjected to a combined external load and preload. In this blog we'll work through the application of bolted joint science in a finite element analysis. We will: Provide an introduction to FEA modeling of pre-loaded bolted joints, discuss some common troubleshooting techniques, establish methods to validate results of the FEA model and highlight differences between bolted joint science and real-world application.