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Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Relaxation in Bolted Composite Joints

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Composite Materials and Joining Technologies for Composites, Volume 7

Abstract

This paper reports on experimental and numerical studies of the effects of bolt preloads, viscoelasticity, and external applied static and dynamic loads on bolt load relaxation in a unidirectional carbon/epoxy composite bolted joint. Experimental measurements of bolt-connected joints in three-point bending specimens were employed in the studies, and relaxation was observed to depend on the initial preload and external dynamic applied loads. It was observed that for any magnitude of external load the bolt load relaxation decreases with increasing initial preload. These findings emphasize the importance of the magnitude of the preload. It was concluded that only about 1/3 of the bolt force relaxation in the composite joints could be attributed to viscoelastic behavior of the polymer matrix in the composite, and the remaining 2/3 of the relaxation is likely caused by other mechanisms such as bolt thread slip, plasticity and/or external excitation. This paper also briefly reviews some relevant relaxation studies found in the literature for mechanically fastened composite and hybrid joints, as well as the effects of environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture on joint relaxation, and points out some gaps where more research needs to be carried out to understand the behavior of such joints.

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Acknowledgements

Most of the work reported here was done in the Advanced Composites Research Laboratory at Wayne State University under the sponsorship of the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research grant No. FA9550-04-1-0042. The program manager was Dr. Victor Guirguitui.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

    Ronald F. Gibson

  2. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Savannah, GA, 31402, USA

    Srinivasa D. Thoppul

Authors
  1. Ronald F. Gibson
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  2. Srinivasa D. Thoppul
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald F. Gibson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Eann Patterson

  2. National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada

    David Backman

  3. Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Gary Cloud

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© 2013 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.

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Gibson, R.F., Thoppul, S.D. (2013). Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Relaxation in Bolted Composite Joints. In: Patterson, E., Backman, D., Cloud, G. (eds) Composite Materials and Joining Technologies for Composites, Volume 7. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4553-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4553-1_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4552-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4553-1

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