Quantitative Detection of High-Strength Bolt Loosening Based on Self-Magnetic Flux Leakage

The reliability of high-strength bolted connections is critical to the safety of large-scale engineering structures. This study proposes a non-contact quantitative method for detecting bolt loosening based on the self-magnetic flux leakage (SMFL) effect. Systematic experiments were carried out on M14-12.9 bolts, using nine independent specimens tested under six torque levels, to reveal the intrinsic relationship between bolt preload and the “magnetic valley” feature of the surface leakage field. For quantitative evaluation, the absolute value of the differential peak magnetic field, |ΔPMF|, is defined as the core feature parameter. The results show that, in the reference specimen group, |ΔPMF| exhibits a pronounced linear relationship with the applied torque (<i>R</i>² > 0.96), and the corresponding linear regression parameters display good consistency across the nine specimens (RSD ≈ 4%). Comparative tests on two additional bolt specifications clarify how bolt strength grade and geometric size influence the detection sensitivity and linearity. To address lift-off effects, measurements on a representative specimen at four lift-off heights were used to construct a simplified bivariate linear compensation model, which significantly reduces lift-off-induced bias within the working range <i>h</i> = 10–16 mm. Finally, a hierarchical diagnostic scheme for bolt loosening that incorporates lift-off compensation is established on the basis of |ΔPMF|, providing a feasible approach for rapid assessment of bolt loosening under complex service conditions.