The purpose of this paper is to investigate the static structural response
of a new type of composite tee joint containing a viscoelastic insert. The
introduction of this material has proven benefits in terms of noise and vib
ration attenuation across the joint. The effects of introducing this new ma
terial on the structural response of the joint are numerically examined by
using a progressive damage model. Application of this method allows the ini
tiation and progression of failure and ultimate failure load to be predicte
d. Experimental results show good qualitative and quantitative agreement wi
th the predictive damage model. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail rights r
eserved.