An experimental investigation on the bearing failure load of glass fibre/epoxy laminates

This paper deals with an experimental investigation on the bearing failure load of glass fibre/epoxy (GFRP) laminates. The effects of fibre-to-load inclination angle and laminate stacking sequence on the bearing load capacity have been determined experimentally on two different type of laminates: unidirectional and bi-directional (cross-ply). Significant reductions in bearing failure load when fibre inclination angle increases are highlighted. Bearing design formulas are also proposed based on the results of the experiments.