Abstract
Fatigue performance characterization of a composite butt joint configuration was studied. The study focused on failure mode, damage evolution, and tensile stiffness degradation analyses. Effects of surface ply orientation, doubler thickness, joint attachment, and defect on the joint fatigue performance were evaluated. The bonded-bolted joints with two-row fasteners installed in each overlap section had an extremely high fatigue performance. For such a bonded-bolted joint configuration with thick doubler, a minor disbond defect improved, rather than reduced, the joint fatigue performance. This outcome was examined using the corresponding joint tensile stiffness degradation curves, and a dominant failure mechanism was identified based on damage characteristics. The study showed that the butt joint made using appropriate elements, such as a thick doubler with two-row fasteners installed in each bonded overlap section, could have very good fatigue performance regardless of the presence of a minor disbond defect.
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