Fiber-oriented repair geometries for composite materials

In this paper, the idea of fiber-oriented repair geometries for carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is investigated. It considers the differing mechanical properties of unidirectional fiber reinforced material by excluding overlapping regions perpendicular to the fiber direction of the particular layer. A mechanical and numerical comparison of tensile strength of stepped joints with continuous step lengths per ply and stepped joints with reduced step lengths in plies with fiber orientation differing from load direction is performed. Finite element simulations show similar shear stresses. Mechanical tests of CFRP laminates with stepped joints show no significant deviation in tensile strength, in spite of a joint length reduction of nearly 40%. This leads to the possibility of a significant reduction of repair area. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.