Adhesively-bonded repair techniques for composites and wood

Carbon-epoxy composites are being increasingly used in structures requiring high specific strength and stiffness. After damage, repair of these structures should be evaluated, instead of their disposal, for cost saving and ecological reasons. This book deals with the numerical strength prediction with cohesive zone models and experimental validation of adhesively-bonded repairs in carbon-epoxy laminates. Single and double-strap, and also scarf repairs, were examined under tension, compression and bending loads. Repair of wood structures with composite patches is also proposed for three common damage types. The overall results of this work show that the numerical models are accurate in modelling the repairs behaviour. This certifies the suitability of the proposed methodology in simulating the fracture behaviour of bonded assemblies, opening a good perspective for a quicker design and reduction of costs due to extensive experimental characterization. This book is expected to bring value to scientists, academics, students and industry designers working in the area of composite and wood materials, and also numerical methods.