Objectives  The force of a bolt group of a long strip base with multiple sets of equipment under various local loads is different from that of the ordinary localized base to meet the needs of the base design.

  Methods  The procedures and key technology of the finite element method to analyze the force of a bolt group are summarized. Based on the continuous beam theory and the balance of force and moment, a set of approximate simplified calculation methods and formulas is proposed to determine the force of bolts on a strip base of multi-group equipment under local tensile force, transverse bending moment, and longitudinal bending moment and combined loading. The force of the bolt group on a strip base under various local loads was calculated and compared using the proposed method.

  Results  The results showed that the method presented in this paper is simple and accurate, usually slightly larger than the finite element result and tends to be conservative.

  Conclusions  The method proposed can be used in the design of ship equipment bases and strength analysis of ships' support structure.