The purpose of a joint is to transfer load between the two parts beings joi
ned. As a result of this load transfer there will be a stress variation in
the components in the joint region, as well as stresses in the joining medi
um (fasteners or adhesive). In this work, the stress results of a two-dimen
sional finite element (FE) analysis are used to understand failure modes of
a bolted joint in low-temperature cure carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CF
RP) woven laminates loaded in tension, and to predict the bearing strength.
Good agreement with experimentally observed damage modes and strengths is
achieved with, in some cases, a difference of less than 10%.