Abstract
This paper aims to study the mechanical behaviour and failure mode of Al 2024-T3 in double-lap bolted joints. To accomplish this, the effect of geometric parameters was investigated in both configurations of single and double fasteners. Using ABAQUS/Standard, a three-dimensional finite element model was developed and verified against the experimental results of the joints loaded in tension. In general, double bolt joints were found to have greater load carrying capacities than single bolt joints (by 40%–49%). In single bolt joints, the plate width had insignificant effect on the behaviour of the joint under tensile loading; whereas, increasing the distance of the hole from the edge, considerably enhanced the strength of the joint. In double bolt joints, changing the edge distance had almost no effect on the behaviour of the joint. However, increasing the plate width from 25.4 to 30 mm increased the load carrying capacity by 28%. This study showed that in single bolt connections, with increasing the edge distance, the failure mode can favourably shift from shear-out to bearing. Also, double bolt joints with wider plates (increased width) can beneficially shift the failure mode from net-tension to bearing. The geometric parameters were found to play an important role in controlling the failure mode so that catastrophic failure modes of net-tension and shear-out can be prevented in bolted joint.
Highlights
Mechanical fasteners are largely used in the construction of aircraft
Using the verified finite element modelling approach, 12 models with different configurations and dimensions, as listed in Table 1, were generated in order to investigate the effect of geometric parameters on the stress distributions within the bolted joint so as to predict the failure mode
As can be seen in this figure, shear-out was the failure mode in the single bolt joints while in the double bolt junctions, net-tension was found as the mode of failure
Summary
Mechanical fasteners are largely used in the construction of aircraft. These fasteners form the complex component geometries required for flight, durability, and performance. Finite element (FE) modelling has been used in previous studies to better investigate the mechanical behaviour of bolted and riveted joints. Armentani et al [15] analysed multiple crack propagation in an aeronautic doubler-skin riveted joint. They implemented both dual boundary element method and finite element method and compared advantages and disadvantages of these two methods. Oskouei et al [16] developed a three-dimensional finite element model to simulate the clamping force and transfer the applied tensile loads through the joint plates. This study revealed that increasing the clamping force can decrease the stress magnitude around the hole under tensile loading
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