On the use of selective Z-pinning in stiffened composite panels to prevent skin/stringer debonding

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites have been widely used in engineering. This paper investigates the effect of composite z-pin (polyimide fiber/epoxy resin) on flexural properties of skin/stringer composite structure with different z-pin densities and diameters. Compared with unpinned specimens, the peak loading and energy absorption of z-pinned specimens are increased by 98% and 9 times, respectively. Parameterized research indicates that the optimal z-pin density is 1.35%. And thin z-pins are beneficial to improve the peak loading and energy absorption, which attributes to more total contact area of z-pins. The statistical results present that z-pin pre-hole inserted (ZPI) process can significantly reduce initial damages of z-pinned specimens compared with Ultrasonically Assisted Z-fiber (UAZ) process. Specifically, the z-pin inclination angle is decreased by 60%, and the initial damages in eye-like zone are prominently reduced. The z-pin makes the specimen exhibit the quasi-brittle behavior under flexural loading by playing a bridging role, which makes the flexural properties of specimens prominently increased. In addition, the “snubbing effect” will enhance the bridging effect of z-pins, but it will lead to inter-fibers debonding, splitting, and shear failure of z-pins.