Numerical and experimental analysis of stresses and failure in T-bolt joints

T-bolt joints are widely used in the wind turbine industry. This paper describes the constitution and function of the different components of the joint, showing the different parameters that affect its performance, and presents a parametric analysis, useful for joint design and optimization, relating laminate thickness, bolt and cylinder diameters to pitch distance, and pretension of the bolt with external load. In order to provide information on the influence of the T-bolt geometry on the strength of the laminate in the net tension and bearing zones, tests for two different glass fiber – epoxy laminates, under different pitch/diameter ratios have been performed, forcing either bearing or tension failure modes. Stress and strain concentrations in the laminate have been estimated trough a three-dimensional finite element model that takes into account pretension effects and contact nonlinearities. How experimental results correlate with simple and finite element model analysis is discussed. Stress Point Criteria may be applied for joint tension failure with a characteristic distance of d0 = 0.9 mm.