Study on the shear performance of new type interpenetrating composite plate connector

A new kind of epoxy resin/foam nickel–iron plate connector is introduced. This kind of interpenetrating composite connector has approximate thermal insulation performance of the resin, good mechanical properties, and easy manufacture and production. This paper studied the shear performance of the connector at the elastic–plastic stage, which was the basis important performance of the connector to be widely used. Three groups of specimens made of single-layer foam nickel–iron plate and three groups of specimens made of double-layer foam nickel–iron plate were tested and analyzed by finite element simulation. The results showed that the plate connector had better shear strength. The failure mode of plate specimens was the typical bending shear failure, and finally, the web buckling occurred in the compression zone. The bearing capacity of the specimen was positively correlated with the thickness of the specimen and the material properties of the matrix phase.