BEARING FAILURE IN PIN CONTACT OF COMPOSITE LAMINATES

A fiber-microbuckling-based failure model for contact between a pin an d a composite laminate is reviewed. This failure model is employed to study the effects of various parameters on the bearing failure. The pa rameters considered include ply orientation, stacking sequence, lamina te thickness, pin material, and clamping condition. Accompanying the a nalysis, pin contact experiments are conducted. The test results demon strate the influence of these parameters on the contact bearing streng th. They are also used to evaluate the model predictions. Several bear ing failure mechanisms are found to be dependent on ply thickness and orientation. If the failure is dominated by fiber microbuckling, then the present model yields quite accurate predictions of bearing failure .