The figure shows the free body diagram for the steel plate marked 1. The load on the steel plate directed away from the splice plates is 480 kilo newtons. The shear forces on both sides of the bolt have magnitude of tau times A subscript bolt and are directed opposite to the load.

The ultimate shear strength of the bolts is 270 MPa, and a factor of safety of 1.6 with respect to fracture is specified. The allowable shear stress for the bolts is therefore:

τallow=τfractureFS=270 MPa1.6=168.75 MPa

Note: The ultimate strength is the fracture stress of the material.