An investigation of the stitching effect on single lap shear joints in laminated composites

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate the stitching effect on the bond strength of single lap shear joints in carbon/epoxy composite laminates using experimental and simulation methods. Stitched and unstitched single lap shear joints were bonded using the EC-3448 epoxy adhesive and tested under different working environments, including room temperature/dry (RTD), elevated temperature/wet (ETW) and cold temperature/dry (CTD). The results showed that stitching improved the bond strength of the stitched single lap joints, with approximately 60% higher strength for stitched compared to unstitched lap joints under RTD and CTD environments and 10% higher strength under an ETW environment. The increase was smaller under ETW conditions because the adhesive recured under elevated temperature. Embedded interactions connected the lapping plates and the stitch line, and the maximum stress failure criterion was adopted for the stitch line. As the predicted failure modes are consistent with the experimental results, the progressive damage mode can be applied to simulate stitched composite structures.