Effect of Hole-location Error on the Strength of Fastened Multi-Material Joints

Fastened joint design is based essentially on good prediction of fastener-load distribution. The transmitted load depends on geometrical specifications of coincident holes. Because of the low through-thickness compressive strength of laminated composite materials, a high clamp-up cannot be applied to composite joints. So in single or double lap shear configurations, a sliding phase occurs during loading. Thus the final transmitted load distribution is directly linked to bolt-hole clearance and location error. This work investigates the effect of hole-location error on the strength of multi-material joints. A Monte Carlo and a Genetic Algorithm associated to Finite Element Method are used to estimate maximal transmitted load evolution as a function of tolerance values of hole-location error.