Optimal fastener pattern design considering bearing loads

In many engineering structures, failure occurs either at the connection its elf or in the component at the point of attachment of the connection. To ex tend the service life of the structure it is important to ensure that the l oads borne by the connections are distributed as uniformly as possible. Thi s would also minimize the possibility of localized high stress regions with in the component. In this work a topology optimization based approach has b een developed to incorporate fastener load constraints into a problem formu lated for optimal location of fasteners. The computational results indicate that it is effective in reducing the maximum fastener loads without compro mising on the overall stiffness of the structure.