The Influence of Temperature and Clearance on the Tensile Properties of PC / GFRP Thermoplastic Composite Single‐Lap Bolted Joints

Abstract

ABSTRACT Temperature and bolt–hole clearance significantly influence the mechanical performance of thermoplastic composite bolted joints. This study investigates single‐lap bolted joints made of PC/GFRP thermoplastic composites with plain‐weave (PW) and twill‐weave (TW) architectures under tensile loading at 30°C, 60°C, 90°C, and 120°C, using hole diameters of 6.4, 6.6, and 7.0 mm. Results show that increasing temperature markedly degrades joint performance, with the ultimate load decreasing by 45.29% for PW architectures and 43.4% for TW architectures. TW architectures consistently exhibit higher load‐bearing capacity across all temperatures. Elevated temperature intensifies strain localization and out‐of‐plane deformation, driving a transition in failure mode from local bearing damage to hole‐edge crushing, global bending and coupled deformation. In addition, bolt–hole clearance strongly affects joint performance; excessive clearance delays effective bolt–hole contact and increases bolt tilting, eccentric loading and stress concentration, thereby reducing both ultimate and residual load capacity. When hole diameter increases from 6.4 to 7.0 mm, the average ultimate load decreases by approximately 21.8%. These results provide insight into the coupled effects of temperature and clearance, offering guidance for high‐temperature performance evaluation and design optimization of bolted PC/GFRP thermoplastic composite structures.