3-D Experimental and FEA Investigations of Thick Single-Lap Bolted Joints

Stresses in single-lap bolted joints of thick plates are complex and difficult to analyze. The few previous studies of stress through the thickness of bolted joints have been limited to finite element simulations and have been implemented only for the joining of relatively thin plates. Experimental...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cloud, Gary L, Iancu, Florin, Ding, Xu, Raju, Basavaraju B
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
BOLT FASTENING
BOLTED JOINTS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Couplers, Fasteners, and Joints
FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES
FIBER REINFORCED POLYMERS
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
ISOTROPIC MATERIALS
Mechanics
PLATES
STRESS ANALYSIS
STRESSES
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Summary:Stresses in single-lap bolted joints of thick plates are complex and difficult to analyze. The few previous studies of stress through the thickness of bolted joints have been limited to finite element simulations and have been implemented only for the joining of relatively thin plates. Experimental and numerical analyses were conducted to analyze the stress distribution inside thick bolted plates along the bearing plane normal to the plate surface for both composite and isotropic materials. Experimental analysis was conducted via embedded-polariscope photoelasticity, embedded resistance strain gages, and embedded fiber-optic strain sensors. The FEM analysis was performed with commercial codes using material properties and other data obtained experimentally as input. Experimental and numerical results agreed reasonably well, and are believed to depict the behavior of the joint under load well enough to facilitate improvement of joint design. Some alternative designs were analyzed with the objective of decreasing the value of the maximum stress. The first plate presented a steel bushing around the hole, and the maximum stress in that case was decreased by 50%. The second design had the edges of the hole chamfered at a 45-degree angle. This design did not exhibit a decrease in the maximum stress, but it did show an advantageous change in the position of the maximum stress. Presented to IMAC XXIII.