Paper Title
Parametric Studies On Stiffness Modeling Of Fasteners In Channel Type Tension Fitting

Abstract
Tension Fittings are commonly classified into five types. They are Bathtub fitting, Channel fitting, Angle fitting, ‘PI’ fitting and Double angle fitting. Tension fittings are conservatively sized as their weight is usually small relative to their importance. In the previous study, the channel fitting was considered to be fixed at all the fastener locations. Thus, the results obtained were little conservative. In this study it is decided to bring in the flexibility of the fasteners into the analysis using different methods of fastener modeling. In this study, a comparison of the various methods (Tate & Swift) of fastener modeling is studied in detail. The effect of fastener flexibility is studied on the distribution of internal stresses in the channel fitting as compared to the fixed boundary conditions. Aluminum alloy 7050-T7452 is selected for the study. Keywords: Tension Fittings, Flexibility of fasteners, Tate & Swift method of modeling