Abstract
A study on predicting the joint strength of mechanically fastened woven glass/epoxy composite has been performed. An experimental and numerical study were carried out to determine the characteristic length and joint strength of composite joint. The characteristic lengths for tension and compression were determined from the tensile and compressive test with a hole respectively. The characteristic lengths were evaluated by applying the point stress failure criterion to a specimen containing a hole at the center subjected to tensile loading and a specimen containing a half circular notch at the center subjected to compressive load. The joint strength was evaluated by the Tsai-Wu and Yamada-Sun failure criterion on the characteristic curve. The predicted results of the joint strength were compared with experimental results.