Strengthening mechanics of thin and thick composite T-joints reinforced with z-pins

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study into the importance of the skin–flange thickness on the strengthening mechanics and fracture modes of z-pinned composite T-joints. The structural properties of unpinned and z-pinned carbon fibre–epoxy T-joints that had skin–flange thickness values between 2 mm (thin) and 8 mm (thick) were determined under tension (stiffener pull-off) loading. Experimental testing revealed that the capacity of z-pins to improve the structural properties was strongly dependent on the T-joint thickness. The joint properties increased at a quasi-linear rate with the skin–flange thickness, and z-pin pull-out tests showed that this was due to the increased crack bridging traction load and traction energy. The increase to the structural properties of the z-pinned T-joints with increasing thickness is explained using the bridging traction laws for z-pinned laminates.