Evaluation of pin-bearing capacity of the bolted GFRP members Available to Purchase

The design of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) connections for structural applications is a rather complicated task as they are orthotropic in nature. Moreover, some behavioural aspects of these connections are still not known. In this work, an investigational was led to estimate the bearing resistance of GFRP steel bolted connections. The standard bearing test was performed per ASTM D 953 to graphically represent the relationship between pin-bearing stress and hole deformation. Experiments have been conducted on individual pinned connections in multi-directional GFRP, encompassing various laminate configurations and specimen geometries. Design parameters affecting the strength of the joint are introduced and discussed. In this study, the laminate stacking sequence, fiber orientation, were considered as design variables. The analysis focuses on examining material parameters and their substantial impact on enhancing the structural capacity of composite bolted joints. From this study, it was observed that 0° laminates showed higher bearing strength. The angle formed between the direction of load and the orientation of the fiber played a key role when determining the bearing strength.