Interaction of Polymer Flexible Joint with Brittle Materials in Four-point Bending Tests

Paper presents the possibility of application of Polymer Flexible Joint (PFJ) as a connection for brittle materials (bricks, limestones) where the PFJ is capable to carry loads. The aim of this paper is to describe the influence of application of such joints on repaired elements.In the article the idea and examples of using the Polymer Flexible Joints in civil engineering are depicted. Mechanical properties of polymer are described. Experimental investigation was conducted to determine the behaviour of selected brittle materials in four-point bending test of original specimens and after that of specimens repaired with PFJ. Based on the results of experimental research, the characteristic stress-displacement relationships are presented. The differences between various joint thickness and velocity of applied displacement are shown. The influence of flexible joint on connected elements is described, particularly taking into consideration the stress redistribution around the joint.The application of flexible joint has a positive influence on load capacity of the connection of tested elements. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that repaired elements can carry larger load due to stress redistribution. The direction of further research is indicated for connecting selected brittle materials with the described Polymer Flexible Joint.