Publications Details

Evaluating the performance of fasteners subjected to multiple loadings and loadings rates and identifying sensitivities of the modeling process

Mersch, J.P.; Smith, J.A.; Johnson, Evan P.; Bosiljevac, Thomas B.

This study details a complimentary testing and finite element analysis effort to model threaded fasteners subjected to multiple loadings and loading rates while identifying modeling sensitivities that impact this process. NAS1352-06-6P fasteners were tested in tension at quasistatic loading rates and tension and shear at dynamic loading rates. The quasistatic tension tests provided calibration and validation data for constitutive model fitting, but this process was complicated by the difference in the conventional (global) and novel (local) displacement measurements. The consequences of these differences are investigated in detail by obtaining calibrated models from both displacement measurements and assessing their performance when extended to the dynamic tension and shear applications. Common quantities of interest are explored, including failure load, time-to-failure, and displacement-at-failure. Finally, the mesh sensitivities of both dynamic analysis models are investigated to assess robustness and inform modeling fidelity. This study is performed in the context of applying these fastener models into large-scale, full system finite element analyses of complex structures, and therefore the models chosen are relatively basic to accommodate this desire and reflect typical modeling approaches. The quasistatic tension results reveal the sensitivity and importance of displacement measurement techniques in the testing procedure, especially when performing experiments involving multiple components that inhibit local specimen measurements. Additional compliance from test fixturing and load frames have an increasingly significant effect on displacement data as the measurement becomes more global, and models must necessarily capture these effects to accurately reproduce the test data. Analysis difficulties were also discovered in the modeling of shear loadings, as the results were very sensitive to mesh discretization, further complicating the ability to analyze joints subjected to diverse loadings. These variables can significantly contribute to the error and uncertainty associated with the model, and this study begins to quantify this behavior and provide guidance on mitigating these effects. When attempting to capture multiple loadings and loading rates in fasteners through simulation, it becomes necessary to thoroughly exercise and explore test and analysis procedures to ensure the final model is appropriate for the desired application.