Bolted Joint Connections of FRP-Components in Submarines Subjected to Underwater Shock

The application of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) and sandwich components is an established practice at various locations in state-of-the-art submarines. Due to acoustic reasons, easy formability and low mass density at comparatively high strength values, these components bear a huge potential for buoyancy-related constructions. The shock-design and -calculation of these components as well as their connecting parts are crucially supported by Finite Element simulations using LS-DYNA. The present work shows an investigation of FRP-based bolted joint connections in today’s submarines and their connection to the pressure hull in terms of modelling and simulation. The transfer from detailed models to simulation of a full-scale shock submarine, as shown in Fig. 1, is presented and discussed.