Effect of Bolt-Hole Clearance on Bolted Connection Behavior for Pultruded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Structural Plastic Members

Abstract

Bolt-hole clearance affects the failure mode on the bolted connection system of pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer plastic (PFRP) members. The various geometric parameters, such as the shape and cross-sectional area of the structural members, commonly reported in many references were used to validate the bolt-hole clearance. This study investigates the effects of the bolt-hole clearance in single-bolt connections of PFRP structural members. Single-bolt connection tests were planned using different bolt-hole clearances (e.g., tight-fit and clearances of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm with 0.5 mm intervals) and uniaxial tension is applied on the test specimens. Most of the specimens failed in two sequential failure modes: bearing failure occurred and the shear-out failure followed. Test results on the bolt-hole clearances are compared with results in the previous research.