NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF STATIC BEHAVIOR OF BOLTED JOINTS

This paper investigates the static behavior of bolted joints and the extent of its control in the design of assembled structures. An analysis method is thus first developed highlight-ing stresses distribution in the junction to dimension the functional performance area. A description of the joint characteristics is presented. Numerical simulations, comparing the complete and simplified finite element models relevance, are then carried out. The integra-tion of results of this analysis in the design of multiple bolted joints structures in finally presented. Experiments on a testbed, where a viscoelastic material is introduced in joints interfaces to enhance global damping, validate the approach developed.