Analysis and behavior of pultruded FRP bolted connections

This paper presents the results of a three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis pertaining to the behavior of single, pin-loaded, pultruded fiber-reinforced polymeric (FRP) composite plates reinforced with E-glass rovings and strand mat material. The analysis accounts for variable contact regions through a sliding contact formulation. Failure criteria developed for laminated FRP composites are used to compare the FE analysis stress resultants to the experimentally observed failure modes in specimens cut parallel and transverse to the roving direction. Results show that the FE model can predict initial load-deflection behavior up to the first peak in load. Failure zones found from FRP failure criteria correlate well with experimentally observed cleavage and net-tension failure modes. This analysis can be further extended to simulate the full spectrum of damage response.