Effect of Fiber Orientation and Clearance on Load Sharing in Multi-Bolt Composite Connections: A Micro-Mechanical Perspective

The impact of varying fiber orientations and clearances on load sharing by each bolt and displacement in multi-bolt laminated composite joints subjected to in-plane tensile loads is investigated in this paper. A semi-analytical spring model used for evaluating load distribution and displacement through a computational micromechanical approach. Within this approach, the distinct properties of the matrix and fibers are individually considered to assess laminate properties, utilizing a homogenization technique. This approach enables better control over design parameters which helps in evaluating accurate load sharing with optimum computational efforts. The disparity between the maximum and minimum loads borne by bolts serves as a metric for evaluating the load-sharing efficiency of the bolted connection. The impact of bolt-hole clearance is explored across various lamination schemes and volume fiber fractions.