An investigation is presented into the behaviour of carbon fibre composite joints subjected to dynamic loading rates in the range of 0.1 m/s to 10 m/s. The research is focused on the response of single fastener joints and more complex structural arrangements involving multiple fasteners and complex loads. Fasteners play a crucial role in the joining of aerospace components due to their ease of installation and inspection and their resistance to creep and environmental degradation. A consequence of the operating environment of aircraft is that many critical load cases involve impact and crash. These loading events are characterised by high loading rates, high kinetic energy and possibly loads well above the static design case. The properties of composite materials change with loading rate, so it is likely that the behaviour of bolted composite joints may also vary significantly. Dynamic behaviour of bolted joints is an area of research that has been given little attention to date. The few available papers on the topic are limited to the investigation of ideal bearing loads and include some contradictory results. The research developed a detailed understanding of the behaviour of bolted joints in composite structures through a combined numerical and experimental investigation. A set of quasi-static and dynamic single fastener joint tests was conducted to develop an understanding of the complex failure mechanisms present in bolted composite joints. Simple structural tests were developed to investigate the interaction of multiple bolts in a joint. High speed camera footage, full-field strain measurement and CT scanning techniques were all used to develop an understanding of the changes in the failure process with increased loading rate. Finite element analyses used implicit and explicit dynamic algorithms to model the tests. The finite element analysis contributed to the understanding of the experimental results as well as providing a predictive tool to minimise the need for further testing. A method of incorporating detailed information about bolt failure into large scale structural models was investigated and developed. The original contributions of this thesis involve novel dynamic joint testing including dynamic pull-through and structural tests. CT Scanning was utilised in a novel way to investigate the complex failure modes within a bolted joint. Novel finite element techniques were developed for modelling bolted joints at both a detailed level and a simplified level for structural analyses. These contributions significantly improve the current understanding of bolted joint failure, both quasi-statically and dynamically, and will allow for more efficient design of bolted composite structures for crash and impact loads.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/272596 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Pearce, Garth Morgan Kendall, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Pearce Garth Morgan Kendall., http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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