4.7 Article

Strengthening mechanics of thin and thick composite T-joints reinforced with z-pins

Journal

COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
Volume 43, Issue 8, Pages 1308-1317

Publisher

ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2012.03.023

Keywords

Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs); Mechanical properties; Analytical modelling; Joints/joining

Funding

  1. RMIT University

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study into the importance of the skin-flange thickness on the strengthening mechanics and fracture modes of z-pinned composite T-joints. The structural properties of unpinned and z-pinned carbon fibre-epoxy T-joints that had skin-flange thickness values between 2 mm (thin) and 8 mm (thick) were determined under tension (stiffener pull-off) loading. Experimental testing revealed that the capacity of z-pins to improve the structural properties was strongly dependent on the T-joint thickness. The joint properties increased at a quasi-linear rate with the skin-flange thickness, and z-pin pull-out tests showed that this was due to the increased crack bridging traction load and traction energy. The increase to the structural properties of the z-pinned T-joints with increasing thickness is explained using the bridging traction laws for z-pinned laminates. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available