Bearing Failure of Bolted Composite Joints. Part II: Model and Verification

Abstract

An investigation was performed to study the bearing failure and response of a mechanically fastened laminated composite joint. The experimental work of the study was presented in Part I, and this paper summarizes the analytical work. An accumulative damage model based on the damage mechanisms observed from the experimental study was developed to simulate the bearing failure in the laminated composite joints. The model consists of two parts: damage prediction and constitutive modeling. Damage accumulation criteria by modifying Hashin criteria were proposed to predict the mode and extent of bearing damage as a function of the stress state, and the relationships between material properties and bearing damage were established based on failure mechanisms. A nonlinear finite element analysis based on the model was developed. Data obtained from this study and existing literature were used to validate the model. Overall, the predictions agreed with the data very well.