Abstract
A number of static and fatigue tests of normal bolted connections and resin injected bolted connections using ‘injection bolts' have been carried out on pultruded FRP structures. In constructions using pultruded FRP profiles, bolted connections are commonly applied. For this type of connection special precautions must be taken. The thread of the bolt must not be in the area of the connecting sections, which requires different bolts for different thicknesses of the connection. In addition, to limit the displacements, the tolerance between bolt shaft and bolt hole must be limited compared with bolted connections in steel, in which pre-stressed connections can be used. These precautions are unnecessary when ‘injection bolts' are applied, in which the clearance between the bolt and the bolt hole is injected with resin. An additional advantage is that no separate sealing needs to be applied after drilling the bolt hole.
Fatigue tests for R=0 1, R=-1, and one test for R=10 were carried out on connections with web plates between I-beams at various load levels. The fatigue performance of the connections tends to be quite good, with a slope of m=-5 or better of a line that reaches the static strength for N=1, as shown in this paper, and good uniformity of fatigue test results.
A comparison between injection bolted and normal bolted connections shows no improvement on static strength. However, the stiffness is increased. The comparison of fatigue test results for both types of connections shows only modest improvements for R=0 1, but major enhancements for R=-1, suggesting that injection bolts could be an attractive option.
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