13 - Assessing the riveting process and the quality of riveted lap joints in aerospace and other applications

Abstract

This chapter first reviews several aspects of the riveting process to ensure that riveted joints will have excellent fatigue performance. These aspects include solid rivets, joint design rules, several experimental and numerical methods to determine the residual stress/strain and interference in riveted joints, and the current approach for studying the riveting process. It then provides three case studies using experimental and finite element methods to assess: (i) the effect of the riveting process on the residual stress/strain in joints, (ii) the stress condition in riveted lap joints when the joints are remotely loaded in tension, and (iii) the fatigue life using an analytical methodology. Concluding remarks and future work on potential development directions for riveting tools, rivets, and riveted-bonded attachment method are briefly provided.