A Finite Element Assessment of Clamping Effects in Composite Bolted Joints

The problem of clamp-up in bolted composite joints has been studied using three-dimensional finite element techniques. In contrast to previous work, a contact analysis has been incorporated enabling both the pin and washer to be modelled. Friction and clamp-up distribution have been shown to significantly effect stress levels in the vicinity of a fastener hole. The results have shown reasonable correlation with experimentally observed strengths and failure modes.