Influence of bolt spacing and degree of anisotropy in single-lap joints

This study concerns the effect of bolt spacing and degree of anisotropy on the bolt load distribution and nature of the failure mechanism. Bolt loads and failure prediction are determined using a solution method that treats the contact stresses and contact region as unknowns. Utilizing the boundary collocation technique, this method provides the non-linear solution while capturing the effects of finite geometry under general loading conditions. The nature of the failure mechanism is established by using the maximum strain criterion. Comparison of the predictions with experimental results reveals their close agreement.