Issue 29

M. Marino et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 29 (2014) 241-250; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.29.21 241 Focussed on: Computational Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials in Italy A finite-element approach for the analysis of pin-bearing failure of composite laminates Michele Marino Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science Engineering (DICII), 00133 Rome, Italy m.marino@ing.uniroma2.it Francesca Nerilli Unicusano - Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano - Telematica Roma, 00166 Rome, Italy fracncesca.nerilli@unicusano.it Giuseppe Vairo Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science Engineering (DICII), 00133 Rome, Italy vairo@ing.uniroma2.it A BSTRACT . In this paper, a numerical home-made finite element model for the failure analysis of bolted joints between fiber-reinforced composite laminates is presented. The model is based on an incremental displacement- based approach, it is hinged on the laminate theory and on a progressive material degradation governed by the failure of composite constituents. The model has been applied to a pin-plate system comprising a mono- directional fiber-reinforced laminated plate, and numerical results in terms of the bearing failure load have been successfully compared with available experimental data. Aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of Rotem’s and Huang’s failure criteria in predicting the pin-bearing failure of bolted joints. The selected criteria act at different material scale: the former operating at the laminate level, while the latter at the constituent’s scale. Proposed results seems to suggest that failure criteria accounting for micro-structural stress-strain localization mechanisms (for instance, Huang’s criterion) give a more accurate estimate in terms of pin-bearing failure load. K EYWORDS . FRP composite laminates; Bolted joints; Progressive damage; Pin-bearing failure. I NTRODUCTION he increased use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials in civil structural applications, and its corresponding advantages, such as, high specific strength and stiffness, and high corrosion resistance, requires the development of advanced design methods. Despite the fact that this type of structural elements have many advantages and potentials, structural joints remain an unavoidable need. Joints represent structural discontinuities T