Experimental and numerical analysis of single lap composite joints with inter-adherend fibers

In this study, a novel reinforcing method for glass-fiber reinforced composites, which consists of inter-adherend glass fibers (IAF) that get through the composite adherend like a pin, was investigated experimentally and numerically. Two types of joints were investigated. One is the traditional single lap joint without inter-adherend (Type A) and the other is Type B in which the fiber pin was used. Static tensile tests were performed at ambient environment in accordance with ASTM standards. In the numerical analysis, ANSYS 12.0 software package was used. The results show that the fibers improve the ultimate strength and damage tolerance of composite joints. In addition, the numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental ones. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.