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The effects of countersink depth on fatigue performance of CFRP joint

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Abstract

Countersink bolts are extensively utilized in aircraft connection structures due to their excellent connectivity performance. However, the occurrence of countersink depth errors is inevitable during the production of CFRP components. Therefore, research on the effects of countersunk hole depth mistakes on structural connection performance becomes imperative. This research aims to offer recommendations for repairing countersunk hole errors and assessing the effectiveness of hole connections. In this study, fatigue tests were conducted for CFRP single-lap joints with different countersunk hole sizes, the analysis focused on examining the effects of countersunk hole depth errors on the fatigue life, and structural stiffness of CFRP single-lap joints. Additionally, the failure forms of CFRP single-lap joints under different countersunk hole depth errors were revealed. A mechanical analysis model of the contact between the bolt taper and the hole wall was established to analyze the bearing performance of the structure under different countersunk hole head sizes and elucidate the failure behavior of the bolt. The results show that the fatigue life and structural stiffness of CFRP component exhibit an increasing trend with the deepening of countersunk holes. Furthermore, the bending moment at the bolt taper surface initially increases and subsequently decreases, reaching its peak when the bolt head is flush with the upper surface of the connecting plate. Compared with the case where the bolt protrudes from the plate, the compressive stress borne by the tapered surface of the bolt is reduced by about 47.5% when the tapered surface achieves full contact with the hole wall. Conversely, when the depth of the countersunk hole is shallow, the bolt is prone to compression collapse damage.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the editors and the anonymous referees for their insightful comments.

Funding

The work reported here in is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52275434).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Qinhuai District, Nanjing City, 210016, Jiangsu Province, China

    Zhenchao Qi, Guangyue Liang & Yizhi Dai

  2. AVIC Xi’an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co., Ltd., Xi’an, 710089, China

    Zhenchao Qi, Jianping Qiu & Haojie Hao

Authors
  1. Zhenchao Qi
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  2. Guangyue Liang
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  3. Yizhi Dai
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Contributions

(1) Zhenchao Qi designed the study, performed the research, analysis data, and wrote the paper.

(2) Guangyue Liang and Yizhi Dai conducted experiments and data processing.

(3) Jianping Qiu and Haojie Hao modified the paper and directed experiments.

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Correspondence to Zhenchao Qi.

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Qi, Z., Liang, G., Dai, Y. et al. The effects of countersink depth on fatigue performance of CFRP joint. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 128, 4397–4412 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12130-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12130-5

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