Bearing strength and failure analysis on the interference-fit double shear-lap pin-loaded composite

Interference-fit technology has a wide effect on the strength and fatigue life of composite structures. The damage around the hole may accelerate the structure failure. In this paper, a progressive damage model is developed to predict the response of interference-fit pin-loaded composite laminates during the installation and loading process with the ABAQUS subroutine user-define-field (USDFLD). The model takes contact at the pin–hole interface, the nonlinear shear stress–strain relationship and the property progressive damage into consideration. The loading procedure is separated into two parts: (a) installing the Hi-Lok pin. (b) Applying the tensile load. To predict progressive failure, the mixed failure criteria combining Hashin criteria and the maximum stress failure criteria, and the Camanho and Matthews degradation rules are conducted. The insertion load, stress and damage around the hole, load–displacement curve, and the bearing strength are predicted. A series of experiments have also been performed and the rationality of the model is testified. The parametric study is also made to analyze the effect of fit conditions on insertion load, damage, and load–displacement curve.