Bolt-hole clearance effects in composite joints

A thorough understanding of bolted joint behaviour is essential to the design of efficient structures from composite materials where clearance rather than interference fits are generally used. An extensive numerical and experimental analysis of how variations in fit could affect the stiffness and strength of a joint has been performed within the EU-funded project, 'BOJCAS: Bolted Joints in Composite Aircraft Structures'. This chapter draws together the main findings and covers a range of common joint configurations including single-bolt, multi-bolt, single-lap and double-lap joints. Though the study was aimed at the aeronautics industry, the findings are applicable to other application areas.