Static and dynamic behaviour of composite riveted joints in tension

The tensile response and failure of composite riveted joints are studied ex perimentally in the present paper. Seven joint configurations for aircraft application are tested at quasi-static, 4 and 8 m/s nominal loading rates. Joint specimens are made of CFRP in a number of lay-ups of unidirectional t apes and woven fabrics. A dynamic tensile test method is designed to give r eliable test results. It is shown that the variation of tensile strength wi th loading rate is negligible for the tested composite riveted joints. Howe ver, for most of the tested specimens, the average total energy absorption of the composite joint increases with increasing loading rate. Various fail ure modes are identified for various joint designs and it was found that jo int failure modes can change with varying loading rates. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.