Delamination Damage Mechanism of CFRP Laminates During the Interference-Fit Bolt Assembly Process

The interference-fit bolt joint of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) laminates behaves high mechanical performance, which has broad application prospects in the field of aviation and automotive. However, the interference-fit assembly process is easy to cause delamination damage of CFRP laminates. So the interference-fit assembly process and delamination damage are investigated by finite element method in detail. The assembly process of CFRP laminates with interference-fit bolt was divided into 4 stages. The forces on the contact surface of CFRP laminates is analyzed. The interference-fit bolt assembly process of CFRP laminates was simulated by ABAQUS in detail. The study indicates that the radial stress around the hole of CFRP laminates increases with interference percentages and presents a periodic non-uniform distribution. The thrust force increases approximately linearly with the insertion displacement and interference percentage. What’s more, the greater the interference percentage, the more serious the delamination damage. The bottom interface is the most likely to occur delamination. This work lays the foundation for the study of assembly process optimization.