Rupture and damage mechanism analysis of a bolted assembly using coupling techniques between AE and DIC

This paper investigates the fracture and damage of a single-lap bolted assembly formed from thin sheets of aluminum alloy 6082 T6. The influence of tightening torque and clearance will be considered for the analysis of the global mechanical behaviour of the link. An experimental approach was carried out in order to analyze the sequence of damage mechanisms using acoustic emission (A.E.) and measurement of fields by digital image correlation (D.I.C.) techniques simultaneously. The A.E. technique allows the monitoring of the evolution of acoustic activities by taking into account the number of counts, duration, maximum amplitude and energy of the events. The treatment of these four parameters by planar localization allows precise determination of the fracture. The D.I.C. technique confirms the damage scenarios after the treatment of strain field at any point near the fastener. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.