Kompozit yapılar için bağlantı çözümleri

Lightweight composite materials are continuously improving and have applications in almost every technology field, from rocket science to everyday household appliances. There are many opportunities from the design, performance, operability, and reliability standpoints. Besides these opportunities, challenging topics are open for improvement, especially in securely joining composite parts. Conventional fastening systems like rivets, welding bolts, and clinched fixings were commonly designed for sheet metals or thick construction parts, which may often be incompatible with composites or require additional work when applied to the composite materials. On the other hand, embedding fasteners into composite materials requires molding to adapt to the fastener geometry, which can provide a seamless connection between the assembly components. However, embedding unfamiliar parts may lead to design compatibility issues and inefficient processes in real-life scenarios. In this thesis, a method was researched and analyzed to improve the load-carrying capacity of single-lap composite structures using a sleeve geometry designed to be formed by a special bolt in the assembly field. The proposed model reduced the failure indices by 16% to 54%, reducing the clamp loss ratio by 18%, and improved the damage initiation force by 8% to 40% compared to similar alternatives. The bearing response and the bearing stiffness were significantly increased with this thesis.