Numerical Optimization by Finite Element Method of Stainless Steel/Glass-Epoxy Composite Bolted Joint under Tension and Compression

The aim of this study was to optimize the geometry and the design of metallic/composite single bolted joints subjected to tension-compression loading. For this purpose, it was necessary to evaluate the stress state in each component of the bolted join. The multi-material assembly was based on the principle of double lap bolted joint. It was composed of a symmetrical balanced woven glass-epoxy composite material plate fastened to two stainless sheets using a stainless pre-stressed bolt. In order to optimize the design and the geometry of the assembly, ten configurations were proposed and studied: a classical simple bolted joint, two joints with an insert (a BigHeadR insert and a stair one) embedded in the composite, two “waved” solutions, three symmetrical configurations composed of a succession of metallic and composites layers, without a sleeve, with one and with two sleeves, and two non-symmetrical constituted of metallic and composites layers associated with a stair-insert (one with a sleeve and one without). A tridimensional Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to model each configuration mentioned above. The FE models taked into account the different materials, the effects of contact between the different sheets of the assembly and the pre-stress in the bolt. The stress state was analyzed in the composite part. The concept of stress concentration factor was used in order to evaluate the stress increase in the highly stressed regions and to compare the ten configurations studied. For this purpose, three stress concentration factors were defined: one for a monotonic loading in tension, another for a monotonic loading in compression, and the third for a tension-compression cyclic loading. The results of the FEM computations showed that the use of alternative metallic and composite layers associated with two sleeves gived low values of stress concentration factors, smaller than 1.4. In this case, there was no contact between the bolt and the composite part and the most stressed region was not the vicinity of the hole but the end of the longest layers of the metallic inserts.

Experimental study on the shear performance of quasi-NPR steel bolted rock joints

Quasi-NPR(negative Poisson’s ratio)steel is a new type of super bolt material with high strength,high ductility,and a micro-negative Poisson’s effect.This material overcomes the contrasting characteristics of the high strength and high ductility of steel and it has significant energy-absorbing characteristics,which is of high value in deep rock and soil support engineering.However,research on the shear resistance of quasi-NPR steel has not been carried out.To study the shear performance of quasi-NPR steel bolted rock joints,indoor shear tests of bolted rock joints under different normal stress conditions were carried out.Q235 steel and#45 steel,two representative ordinary bolt steels,were set up as a control group for comparative tests to compare and analyze the shear strength,deformation and instability mode,shear energy absorption characteristics,and bolting contribution of different types of bolts.The results show that the jointed rock masses without bolt reinforcement undergo brittle failure under shear load,while the bolted jointed rock masses show obvious ductile failure characteristics.The shear deformation ca-pacity of quasi-NPR steel is more than 3.5 times that of Q235 steel and#45 steel.No fracture occurs in the quasi-NPR steel during large shear deformation and it can provide stable shear resistance.However,the other two types of control bolts become fractured under the same conditions.Quasi-NPR steel has significant energy-absorbing characteristics under shear load and has obvious advantages in terms of absorbing the energy released by shear deformation of jointed rock masses as compared with ordinary steel.In particular,the shear force plays a major role in resisting the shear deformation of Q235 steel and#45 steel,therefore,fracture failure occurs under small bolt deformation.However,the axial force of quasi-NPR steel can be fully exerted when resisting joint shear deformation;the steel itself does not break when large shear deformation occurs,and the supporting effect of the jointed rock mass is effectively guaranteed.

Numerical simulation study on shear resistance of anchorage joints considering tensile-shear fracture criterion of 2G-NPR bolt

2G-NPR bolt (the 2nd generation Negative Poisson’s Ratio bolt) is a new type of bolt with high strength, high toughness and no yield platform. It has signifcant efects on improving the shear strength of jointed rock mass and controlling the stability of surrounding rock. To achieve an accurate simulation of bolted joint shear tests, we have studied a numerical simulation method that takes into account the 2G-NPR bolt's tensile–shear fracture criterion. Firstly, the indoor experimental study on the tensile–shear mechanical properties of 2G-NPR bolt is carried out to explore its mechanical properties under diferent tensile–shear angles, and the fracture criterion of 2G-NPR bolt considering the tensile–shear angle is established. Then, a three-dimensional numerical simulation method considering the tensile–shear mechanical constitutive and fracture criterion of 2G-NPR bolt, the elastoplastic mechanical behavior of surrounding rock and the damage and deterioration of grouting body is proposed. The feasibility and accuracy of the method are verifed by comparing with the indoor shear test results of 2G-NPR bolt anchorage joints. Finally, based on the numerical simulation results, the deformation and stress of the bolt, the distribution of the plastic zone of the rock mass, the stress distribution and the damage of the grouting body are analyzed in detail. The research results can provide a good reference value for the practical engineering application and shear mechanical performance analysis of 2G-NPR bolt.

Effect of bolt inclination angle on shear behavior ofbolted joints under CNL and CNS conditions

Rock bolts are widely used in rock engineering projects to improve the shear capacity of the jointed rock mass.The bolt inclination angle with respect to the shear plane has a remarkable influence on the bolting performance.In this study,a new artificial molding method based on 3D scanning and printing technology was first proposed to prepare bolted joints with an inclined bolt.Then,the effects of the bolt inclination angle and boundary conditions on the shear behavior and failure characteristic of bolted joints were addressed by conducting direct shear tests under both CNL and CNS conditions.Results indicated that rock bolt could significantly improve the shear behavior of rock joints,especially in the post-yield deformation region.With the increase of bolt inclination angle,both the maximum shear stress and the maximum friction coefficient increased first and then decreased,while the maximum normal displacement decreased monotonously.Compared with CNL conditions,the maximum shear stress was larger,whereas the maximum normal displacement and friction coefficient were smaller under the CNS conditions.Furthermore,more asperity damage was observed under the CNS conditions due to the increased normal stress on the shear plane.

Finite Element Modeling and Modal Analysis of Complicated Structure with Bolted Joints

A contact bolt model is proposed as a new modeling technique to investigate the complex structure with bolted joints for modal analysis and compared with the coupled bolt model, and the test results are given. Among these models, the coupled bolt model provides the best accurate responses compared with the experimental results. The contact bolt model shows the best effectiveness and usefulness in view of operational time. The bolt models proposed in this study are adopted for a dynamic characteristic analysis of a large diesel engine consisting of several parts which are connected by many bolts. The dynamic behavior of the entire engine structure was investigated by experiment. The coupled bolt model and the contact bolt model were applied to model the assembly of engine with high preload. The experimental results are in good agreement with the finite element method （FEM） results. Compared with the other models, the contact bolt model presented in this paper is more effective and useful in view of operational time and experience of analysts.

Analytical model of shear mechanical behaviour of bolted rock joints considering influence of normal stress on bolt guide rail effect

Rock bolts have been widely used in slopes as a reinforcement measure.Modelling the shear mechanical behaviours of bolted rock joints is very complicated due to the complex factors that affect the axial force and shear force on the bolts.Rock bolts under shear action exhibit the guide rail effect;that is,the rock mass slides along the rock bolt as if the rock bolt is a rail.The normal stress can inhibit the guide rail effect and reduce the axial force on bolts.However,this factor is not considered by the existing analysis models.Shear tests of bolted joints under different normal stresses were carried out in the laboratory.During the test,the axial force on each point monitored on the bolt was recorded by a strain gauge,and the attenuation trend of the strain was studied.An analytical model that considers the inhibition of the bolt rail effect due to an increase in the normal stress was proposed to predict the shear mechanical behaviour of rock bolted joints.The new model accommodates the bolt shear behaviours in the elastic stage and plastic stage,and the estimated values agree well with the results of the direct shear tests in the laboratory.The validation shows that the proposed model can effectively describe the deformation characteristics of the bolts in the shear tests.

Bearing Failure Optimization of Composite Double-Lap Bolted Joints Based on a Three-Step Strategy Marked By Feasible Region Reduction and Model Decoupling

To minimize the mass and increase the bearing failure load of composite double-lap bolted joints,a three-step optimization strategy including feasible region reduction,optimization model decoupling and optimization was presented.In feasible region reduction,the dimensions of the feasible design region were reduced by selecting dominant design variables from numerous multilevel parameters by sensitivity analyses,and the feasible regions of variables were reduced by influence mechanism analyses.In model decoupling,the optimization model with a large number of variables was divided into various sub-models with fewer variables by variance analysis.In the third step,the optimization sub-models were solved one by one using a genetic algorithm,and the modified characteristic curve method was adopted as the failure prediction method.Based on the proposed optimization method,optimization of a double-lap single-bolt joint was performed using the ANSYS®code.The results show that the bearing failure load increased by 13.5%and that the mass decreased by 8.7%compared with those of the initial design of the joint,which validated the effectiveness of the three-step optimization strategy.

Effect Mechanisms of Hygrothermal Environments on Failure of Single-Lap and Double-Lap CFRP-Aluminum Bolted Joints

The high demands for load-carrying capability and structural efficiency of composite-metal bolted joints trigger in-depth investigations on failure mechanisms of the joints in hygrothermal environments.However,few studies have been presented to exhaustively reveal hygrothermal effects on the failure of CFRP-metal bolted joints,which differ from CFRP-CFRP or metal-metal bolted joints because of the remarkably different material properties of CFRPs and metals.In this paper,hygrothermal effects on tensile failures of single-lap and double-lap CFRP-aluminum bolted joints were experimentally and numerically investigated.A novel numerical model,in which a hygrothermal-included progressive damage model of composites was established and elastic-plastic models of metals were built,was proposed to predict the failures of the CFRP-metal bolted joints in hygrothermal environments and validated by corresponding experiments.Different failure mechanisms of single-lap and double-lap CFRP-aluminum bolted joints,under 23°C/Dry and 70°C/Wet conditions,were revealed,respectively.It follows that both the collapse failures of the single-lap and double-lap bolted joints were dominated by the bearing failure of the CFRP hole laminate in the two conditions,indicating that the hygrothermal environment did not change the macro failure modes of the joints.However,the hygrothermal environment considerably shortened the damage propagation processes and reduced the strength of the joints.Besides,the hygrothermal environment weakened the load-transfer capability of the single-lap joint more severely than the double-lap joint because it aggravated the secondary bending effects of the single-lap joint obviously.

Crack Quantification of Bolted Joints by Using a Parallelogram Eddy Current Array Sensing Film

Crack monitoring at the bolt hole edge is one of the important focuses of aircraft structural health monitoring.In this study,a novel eddy current sensing film based on a parallelogram coil array is developed to quantitatively monitor the crack characteristics near the bolt hole with fewer layers and coils,compared with the existing methods.The parallelogram coil array configuration is designed and optimized to improve the quantitative monitoring ability of the crack.A 3×3 parallelogram coil array is used to quantify the crack parameters of aluminum bolted joints.Finite element simulation and experiments show that the proposed parallelogram coil array could not only accurately and quantitatively identify the crack angle at the edge of the bolt hole,but also track the crack length along the radial direction of the bolt hole and the depth along the axial direction.

Stress Analysis of Bolted Joints Part II. Contact and Slip Analysis of a Four Bolt Joint

For up-to-date bolted joints, first of all in vehicles, high strength bolts of 10.9 or even 12.9 are used, which are preloaded up to 90% or even 100% of the yield strength. The primary aim of this high degree utilization is the weight reduction. For the analytic dimensioning of bolted joints, the VDI 2230 Richtlinien German standard [1] provides support. However, the analytic model can mostly consider the true structural characteristics only in a limited way. The analytic modeling is especially uncertain in case of multiple bolted joints when the load distribution among the bolts depends reasonably upon the elastic deformation of the participating elements in the joints over the geometry of the bolted joint. The first part of this paper deals with the problems of numerical modeling and stress analysis, respectively specifying the analytic dimensioning procedure by applying elastic or rather elastic-plastic material law. The error magnitude in bolted joint calculation was examined in case of omitting the existing threaded connection—between the bolt and the nut—in order to simplify the model. The second part of the paper deals with the dimensioning of stands and cantilevers’ multi-bolt fixing problems, first of all, with the load distribution among the bolts keeping in view the analysis of the local slipping relations. For demonstrating the above technique, an elaborated numeric procedure is presented for a four-bolted cantilever, having bolted joints pre-tightened to the yield strength.

Numerical investigation on the position of holes for reducing stress concentration in composite plates with bolted and riveted joints

This paper studies the effects of fiber orientaion and holes position on stress concentration and the determination of weakened areas in the composite of glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin around the hole for joints by using the finite element method.In this study,for the observation of areas affected by stress concentration Tsai-Wu failure criterion is used to determine the failed elements and ANSYS Software is implemented for modeling.In order to compare the effect of geometric parameters on stress concentration around the holes,two types of hole position arrangement along with fibers orientation have been studied.Results show that the stress concentration coefficient is lower in the second type of holes arrangement in comparison with the first type for the same component dimensions.Increasing the distance from hole center to upper or lower edge of the sample and also decreasing the distance between holes,would result in an increase in the stress concentration.

Numerical and Experimental Study on Stiffened Composite Panel Repaired by Bolted Joints under Compressive Load

Numerical and experimental study was conducted to investigate the failure mode and strength performance of stiffened composite panel repaired by bolted joints under compressive load, and the results were then compared with those from virgin stiffened composite panel without any damage. A finite element analysis model was established for repaired and virgin stiffened composite panels under compressive load, the 3D Hashin criteria was applied to identify the composite structure failure, and the secondary stress criteria was adopted to identify the adhesive failure between the base laminate and the stiffener. The failure modes of repaired stiffened composite panels were stiffened composite panels breaking off along the bolt joints. The experimental results were consistent with the finite element analysis results, indicating the reliability of the finite element analysis model.

Stress Analysis of Bolted Joints Part I. Numerical Dimensioning Method

For up-to-date bolted joints, first of all in vehicles, high strength bolts of 10.9 or even 12.9 are used, which are pre-tightened up to 90% or even 100% of the yield strength. The primary aim of this high degree utilization is the weight reduction. For the analytic dimensioning of bolted joints, the VDI 2230 Richtlinien German standard provides support. However, the analytic model can mostly consider the true structural characteristics only in a limited way. The analytic modeling is especially uncertain in case of multiple bolted joints when the load distribution among the bolts depends reasonably upon the elastic deformation of the participating elements in the joints over the geometry of the bolted joint. The first part of this paper deals with the problems of numerical modeling and stress analysis, respectively specifying the analytic dimensioning procedure by applying elastic or rather elastic-plastic material law. The error magnitude in bolted joint calculation was examined in case of omitting the existing threaded connection—between the bolt and the nut—in order to simplify the model. The second part of the paper deals with the dimensioning of stands and cantilevers’ multi-bolt fixing problems, first of all, with the load distribution among the bolts keeping in view the analysis of the local slipping relations. For demonstrating the above technique, an elaborated numeric procedure is presented for a four-bolted cantilever, having bolted joints pre-tightened to the yield strength.

Numerical Computation of Stress Intensity Factors for Bolt-hole Corner Crack in Mechanical Joints

The three-dimensional finite element method is used to solve the problem of the quarter-elliptical comer crack of the bolt-hole in mechanical joints being subjected to remote tension. The square-root stress singularity around the corner crack front is simulated using the collapsed 20-node quarter point singular elements. The contact interaction between the bolt and the hole boundary is considered in the finite element analysis. The stress intensity factors （SIFs） along the crack front are evaluated by using the displacement correlation technique. The effects of the amount of clearance between the hole and the bolt on the SIFs are investigated. The numerical results indicate that the SIF for mode I decrease with the decreases in clearance, and in the cases of clearance being present, the corner crack is in a mix-mode, even if mode I loading is dominant.

Numerical simulation on bolted rock joint shearing performance

A Double Shear Model(DSM) was used in a numerical simulation on bolted rock joint shearing performance.An entire bolt deformed as the letter'U'under a shear load between two joints.Near the bolt-joint intersection,the bolt partly deformed as the letter'Z'.There were two critical points along the bolt:one was at the bolt-joint intersection with zero bending moment and the other at the maximum bending moment(plastic hinge) with zero shear stress.The blocks on two sides slid along the bolt as it deformed. A separation area was found between the two joint contact surfaces of the middle rock block and sided block.This area of separation was related to bolt diameter and external forces.We assume that this area is related to the work of external forces.Further research is needed.

Influence of Shim Layers on Progressive Failure of a Composite Componentin Composite-Aluminum Bolted Joint in Aerospace Structural Assembly

The influence of varying shim layers on the progressive damage/failure of a composite component in a bolted composite-aluminum aerospace structural assembly was investigated using a non-linear three-dimensional(3 D)structural solid elements assembled model of a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)-aluminum single-lap joint with a titanium(Ti-6 Al-4 V)fastener and a washer generated with the commercial finite element(FE)software package,ABAQUS/Standard.A progressive failure algorithm written in Fortran code with a set of appropriate degradation rules was incorporated as a user subroutine in ABAQUS to simulate the non-linear damage behavior of the composite component in the composite-aluminum bolted aerospace structure.The assembled 3 DFE model simulated,as well as the specimen for the experimental testing consisted of a carbon-epoxy IMS-977-2 substrate,aluminum alloy 7075-T651 substrate,liquid shim(Hysol EA 9394),solid peelable fiberglass shim,a titanium fastener,and a washer.In distinction to previous investigations,the influence of shim layers(liquid shim and solid peelable fiberglass shim)inserted in-between the faying surfaces(CFRP and aluminum alloy substrates)were investigated by both numerical simulations and experimental work.The simulated model and test specimens conformed to the standard test configurations for both civil and military standards.The numerical simulations correlated well with the experimental results and it has been found that:(1)The shimming procedure as agreed upon by the aerospace industry for the resolution of assembly gaps in bolted joints for composite materials is the same for a composite-aluminum structure;liquid shim series(0.3,0.5 and 0.7 mm thicknesses)prolonged the service life of the composite component whereas a solid peelable fiberglass shim most definitely had a better influence on the 0.9 assembly gap compared with the liquid shim;(2)The shim layers considerably influenced the structural strength of the composite component by delaying its ultimate failure thereby increasing its service life;and(3)Increasing the shim layer′s thickness led to a significant corresponding effect on the stiffness but with minimal effect on the ultimate load.

Influence of Non-uniform Parameter of Bolt Joint on Complexity of Frequency Characteristics of Cylindrical Shell

Bolt connection is one of the main fixing methods of cylindrical shell structures.A typical bolted connection model is considered as a tuned system.However,in the actual working conditions,due to the manufacturing error,installation error and uneven materials of bolts,there are always random errors between different bolts.To investigate the influence of non-uniform parameters of bolt joint,including the stiffness and the distribution position,on frequency complexity characteristics of cylindrical shell through a statistical method is the main aim of this paper.The bolted joints considered here were simplified as a series of springs with random features.The vibration equation of the bolted joined cylindrical shell was derived based on Sanders’thin shell theory.The Monte Carlo simulation and statistical theory were applied to the statistical analysis of mode characteristics of the system.First,the frequency and mode shape of the tuned system were investigated and compared with FEM.Then,the effect of the random distribution and the random constraint stiffness of the bolts on the frequency and mode shape were studied.And the statistical analysis on the natural frequencies was evaluated for different mistuned levels.And some special cases were presented to help understand the effect of random mistuning.This research introduces random theory into the modeling of bolted joints and proposes a reference result to interpret the complexity of the modal characteristics of cylindrical shells with non-uniform parameters of bolt joints.

Bolt Design of Ceramic Matrix Composite and Superalloy Bolted Joint Based on Damage Failure Load

Ceramic matrix composite(CMC)and superalloy bolted joints are commonly used high temperature connection structures in aerospace and aeronautical fields.In this paper,a finite element model coupled with progressive damage analysis of 2D C/SiC composites and superalloy bolted joint was implemented to simulate the uniaxial tensile loading process by using the ABAQUS finite element software.The parametric effects of raised head bolt on stress distribution,tensile performance,and damage process were studied for the CMC⁃superalloy bolted joint structures.The results showed that the final failure load increased first to the maximum value,and then decreased with the rise of bolt diameter,bolt head diameter,and bolt head thickness,respectively.When the three parameters were 5.0 mm,9.5 mm,and 2.8 mm for the current studied bolt configuration,the joint structure gave the maximum load bearing capacity for the considered parameter ranges.It was also found that around 42%potential improvement in load bearing capacity could be achieved by very small adjustments in bolt parameters of the joints.

Influence of bolt dynamic installation on topography characteristics and mechanical behaviors of CFRP interference-fit bolted joints

As the controlled research of Dynamic Installation(DI)and Static Installation(SI),a new interference installation method was developed based on electromagnetic loading to enhance the mechanical properties of composite structures.Four different interference-fit sizes were considered,ranging from a net fit to 2.0%.The experiments were conducted to evaluate the installation resistance and the mechanical behavior of the joint under external loads.Meanwhile,an FFA model to model the stress distribution and damage behavior of the bolt-hole contact interface was established.The load-displacement curve and damage modes of experiments were used to verify the FEA results.The results show that the installation resistance during DI process was remarkably lower than that of SI process corresponding to all interference-fit sizes,and the stress amplitudes induced by interference were larger and widely distributed.The damage of the hole wall was positively correlated with interference fit size,but DI can significantly reduce the damage compared to SI.In performance tests,DI enhanced the static bearing capacity and extended longer fatigue life of the joints than SI.DI methods can be an effective way to achieve highly reliable interference joints in composite structures.

Static and Fatigue Behavior of Hybrid Bonded/Bolted Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Joints Under Tensile Loading

This paper presents the static and fatigue tests of hybrid(bonded/bolted)glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP)joints.Nine specimens of single-lap hybrid GFRP joints have been fabricated to study the static and fatigue behaviors in the experimental campaign.The static tests of uniaxial tension loading are first conducted,from which the static ultimate bearing capacities of the joints are obtained.High-cycle fatigue tests are subsequently carried out so that the fatigue failure mode,fatigue life,and stiffness degradation of joints can be obtained.The measuring techniques including acoustic emission monitoring and three-dimensional digital image correlation have been employed in the tests to record the damage development process.The results revealed that the static strength and fatigue behavior of such thick hybrid GFRP joints were controlled by the bolted connections.The four stages of fatigue failure process are obtained from tests and acoustic emission signals analysis:cumulative damage of adhesive layer,damage of the adhesive layer,cumulative damage of GFRP plate,and damage of GFRP plate.The fatigue life and stiffness degradation can be improved by more bolts.The S-N(fatigue stress versus life)curves for the fatigue design of the single-lap hybrid GFRP joints under uniaxial tension loading are also proposed.