Scarf Joint Modeling and Analysis of Composite Materials

The objective of this study is to investigate joint strength of the scarf
joint configuration, constructed from carbon and glass woven fabric hybrid
laminates, with different material combinations. Glass/glass, glass/carbon,
carbon/glass, and carbon/carbon are tested under various loading conditions
like tension, compression, bending and shear loading. Both experimental and
computational studies are conducted. For the experimental study, specimens made
of scarf joints using carbon and glass woven fabrics are tested under
compressive loadings to determine their joint failure strengths. Computational
models are then developed to predict the joint strengths under the same
conditions as in the experiments using the discrete resin layer model along
with fracture mechanics and virtual crack closure techniques. The comparisons
are good. Once the computational models are validated from the test results,
the scarf joint strengths are computed under different loading conditions.