Design of end-plate connections with elastomeric intermediate layer

Goal of this paper is the development of analytical design rules for bolted end-plate connections with an elastomeric intermediate layer as thermal separation. The actual stress distribution is converted to an equivalent mean stress and an associated effective height. The geometry dependence of the design compressive stresses can be described using a form factor.A finite element model is developed for validating the design rules taking into account geometric and material nonlinearities like large deformations, creep processes or the frictional contact. A major conclusion that can be drawn from the finite element simulation is that compressive stresses decrease towards the edges leading to a stress concentration between the bolts. Investigations of the long-term behavior demonstrate that the influence of creeping processes on the stress distribution can be neglected. On the other hand, it can be shown that the moment–rotation characteristic is strongly dependent on the pre-load of the bolts and the elastomer thickness.