Analytical modeling for stress distribution around interference fit holes on pinned composite plates under tensile load

Interference fit can bring benefits such as fatigue life enhancement to mechanical joints. In this paper, an analytical method is proposed to calculate stress around interference fit holes on composite pinned plates under tensile load. Displacement and load conditions along the edge of hole are analyzed. Load transfer affected by interference deformation is solved by spring-mass model. Stress functions considering interference stress and tensile load are developed to calculate stress components. Experiment results in reference and 3D finite element models are used to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, and good agreement is observed. The effects of ply property, ply stack and load level on stress distribution are discussed. Ply property and ply stack show obvious effects on stress distribution, and the effects are more apparent on hoop stress than on radial stress. Stress increase introduced by tensile load depends on contact state of the pin and hole, and it is apparently decreased when the pin and hole are not separated.