Mechanical Behavior of GFRP Connection Using FRTP Rivets

In recent years, the application of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) as structural members has been promoted. Metallic bolts and rivets are often used for the connection of FRP structures, but there are some problems caused by corrosion and stress concentration at the bearing position. Fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTPs) have attracted attention in composite material fields because they can be remolded by heating and manufactured with excellent speed compared with thermosetting plastics. In this paper, we propose and evaluate the connection method using rivets produced of FRTPs for FRP members. It was confirmed through material tests that an FRTP rivet provides stable tensile, shear, and bending strength. Then, it was clarified that non-clearance connection could be achieved by the proposed connection method, so initial sliding was not observed, and connection strength linearly increased as the number of FRTP rivets increased through the double-lapped tensile shear tests. Furthermore, the joint strength of the beam using FRTP rivets could be calculated with high accuracy using the method for bolt joints in steel structures through a four-point beam bending test.