Experimental Research on the Mechanical Behavior of the Cracked Aluminum Plate Bonded by the Graphite/Epoxy Composite Patch

Abstract

The effect of the graphite/epoxy composite patch parameters on the static and fatigue strength of the cracked aluminum plate was investigated experimentally. A series of specimens repaired by six types of composite patches including four different patch lengths and two different patch thicknesses were tested on the material tester. Specimens single-sided repaired and double-sided repaired by the same composite patches were also tested. The experiment results show that composite patches can provide an improvement in static and fatigue strength of the cracked aluminum plate, double-sided repair is more effective than single-sided repair, if the thickness and the length were selected properly, the composite patches can significantly enhance the strength of the repaired specimens.