Dr Akin AtasFAHAD ABDULKARIM NASSER ALABDAH2022-05-262022-05-26https://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/31777Finite element analysis has been extensively used in studying bolted joints in composite materials. The purpose of conducting these numerical analyses has varied as there are different parameters in bolted joints that affect strength and failure predictions and that need to be investigated. However, it was found that the definition of the coefficient of friction was in the range of 0.2–0.3 in most studies available in the literature while it was proven experimentally to be higher and dependent on other factors. A three-dimensional finite element model of a single-bolt, single-lap, composite-aluminium joint was developed to investigate the effect of the coefficient of friction on joint behaviour. An analytical approach was used to determine the stress distribution around the hole vicinity in a pin-loaded laminate to validate the developed numerical model. Material properties, composite lay-up, boundary conditions and mesh density were all fixed to determine the effect of varying the value of the coefficient of friction. The results show that joint load, secondary bending and radial stresses are influenced by friction force, which was driven in this study by the coefficient of friction. The findings of this study indicate that the practice of using a “typical” value of the friction coefficient without conducting a parametric study represents oversimplification.en