Contact Stresses in Dovetail Attachments: Physical Modeling

Abstract

Simple physical models for the stresses in dovetail attachments are developed. These models address: to slip or not to slip, nominal stresses during loading up, peak contact and shear stresses during loading up, hoop stresses during loading up, peak contact and shear stresses during unloading, and hoop stresses during unloading. Comparisons are made with a previous paper on companion finite element modeling. Generally there is good agreement between the simple physical models and the finite element analysis. Together the two identify a pinching mechanism as leading to large fluctuations in hoop stresses at the edges of contact. These fluctuating hoop stresses can be expected to be a major contributor to the fatigue of dovetail attachments.