Experimental and numerical investigation on C/SiC composite z-pinned/bonded hybrid single-lap joints

Z-pinned/bonded joints are great potential connection components that have been used in the 2D C/SiC composite structures; however, the hybrid joints present complex failure mechanism considering the secondary deposited SiC matrix in the clearance. Therefore, the mechanical performance and failure mechanism of the joints are investigated through experimental and numerical methods in this paper. Experiment results show that two peaks exist in the load–displacement curves. The first load peak is 2891–4172 N with the corresponding displacement of 0.10–0.15 mm, and the second load peak is 2670–2919 N with the corresponding displacement of 0.21–0.25 mm. Besides that, the secondary deposited SiC matrix exhibits discrete distribution, and it has significant effects on the failure mechanism. Validated by experimental data, the proposed three-dimensional numerical model based on modified Hashin’s criterion and fastener element can predict the mechanical performance and failure process. The numerical results indicate that the first load peak is dominated by the deposited SiC matrix near the edge, while the second peak is dominated by the z-pin and the SiC matrix near the z-pin. Moreover, the effects of the deposited SiC matrix’s strength and distribution are discussed, which is meaningful to the optimal design of C/SiC composite z-pinned/bonded hybrid single-lap joints.