Structural Performance of Hybrid Bonded Bolted Joints under Complex Shear Loading

Abstract

Hybrid bonded bolted joints (HBB), which combine high strength preloaded mechanical fasteners with structural adhesive bonding, are in the focus of current research activities. Though, research almost exclusively focusses on axially loaded joints. Yet, HBB applications like a web splice joint of two universal beams or a fin plate connection of a beam to a column necessitate the knowledge of the joints' behaviour under complex shear loading. This motivates the experimental investigations presented herein. The influence of the adhesive and of the positioning of the bolts on the load bearing behaviour is investigated. Additionally, the performance of the hybrid joint is compared with reference specimens with a preloaded bolted joint. In general, the hybrid joint shows better performance than its non‐hybrid counterpart. The knowledge of the influence of different parameters lays the groundwork for future works regarding optimized design of hybrid joints under complex shear loading and load prediction thereof.