A novel crimped composite spline joint for pultruded FRP tubes: Conceptual design and tensile properties

Abstract

Creating an effective composite joint between fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) and metallic profiles poses a significant challenge for heavy-loaded and lightweight emergency truss bridges. A novel crimped composite spline joint (CCSJ) was developed to achieve satisfactory engineering performance. Comparative tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the tensile properties and load-carrying mechanism of the CCSJ in comparison to those of joints without splines. Finite element (FE) analysis considering the crimping process and tensile loading was simultaneously executed and calibrated by experiments. Parametric simulation was supplemented to explore the key factors influencing the ultimate bearing capacity. The results indicated that the novel CCSJ features a simple preparation process, high connection efficiency, and large bearing capacity. A 60×6 mm hybrid FRP tube can withstand a maximum tensile load of 804 kN, achieving a connection efficiency of 61.3 % without the need for any secondary processing of the FRP tube. The CCSJ demonstrates a significantly higher connection efficiency of approximately 20 % compared to joints without splines. The ability of the CCSJ to effectively transfer significant axial loads through the interfacial friction effect is attributed to the increase in the interfacial contact area and preloading radial pressure resulting from the incorporation of pre-crimping splines. A typical failure mode involves interfacial slippage, resulting in satisfactory ductile behavior. The ultimate bearing capacity of the CCSJ is positively correlated with the crimping variables, friction coefficient, spline length, and number of splines. The FE model demonstrates sufficient accuracy in predicting the key behavioral indicators of the composite joint.