Product Overview:
In this tutorial, we investigate the simulation of a composite plate connection with a steel bolt subjected to tension load using Abaqus. The two composite plates are modeled as three-dimensional solid parts, while the steel bolt is also represented as a three-dimensional solid part. To minimize simulation time due to symmetry, only half of the model is utilized.

For the steel bolt, an elastic-plastic material model is employed, along with a ductile damage criterion to predict damage and failure under tension. The composite material is modeled using an epoxy-glass lamina elastic type with specified failure stress. To accurately forecast damage in the composite layers, Hashin’s damage criterion with damage evolution is implemented. The two composite parts are defined using a continuum shell section consisting of four layers.

A dynamic explicit procedure is selected to model the dynamic tension applied to the plates. The general contact algorithm with appropriate contact properties is assumed for all interacting parts in the contact domain. Symmetry boundary conditions are applied to the symmetry surfaces, and the load is introduced as a displacement applied to the top composite plate. It is crucial to have a sufficiently fine mesh to ensure accurate results.

After completing the simulation, the results reveal that the bolt fails under the applied tension load, while the composite plates exhibit damage around the contact zones as predicted by Hashin’s criterion. Comprehensive results including damage, stress, strain, and more are available.