Frequency and Stiffness Analysis of Cracked Bolted Composite Geometries under the Application of Shock Load

Abstract

This work presents the development of an approximate analytical model to study the effect of application of shock loading on frequency response and stiffness of single lap multi bolted cracked composite laminates. These configurations are transformed into mass-spring systems and mathematical model is completed to determine natural frequency of bolted geometries. Analytical results are validated by comparing the results with Finite Element (FE) simulations run in ANSYS workbench. Conclusions reveal that changes in stiffness, because of increase in number of bolts and presence of cracks lead to reduction in fundamental frequency of the system. Therefore, this sensitive nature of frequency response can be used in modeling larger mechanical and aerospace structures.