The Analysis of the Influence of Riveting Parameters Specified in Selected Riveting Instructions on Residual Stresses

The riveting parameters strongly affect residual stresses induced during riveting, which in turn have an impact on the fatigue life of riveted joints. Since rivets are established as critical from the fatigue point of view, the fatigue life of riveted joints often determines the life of the whole structure.

The authors were able to become acquainted with three riveting instructions (process specifications) used by the aerospace companies from western Europe. This work presents the analysis of the riveting parameters' influence on residual stresses around the rivets. The impact of the clearance between a rivet shank and a hole as well as driven head dimensions and a rivet length were investigated based on the numerical simulations. The aim of the analysis was to determine the range of stresses variation when the requirements of the riveting instructions are fulfilled. For the purposes of comparison, the calculations were performed also with the parameters as specified in the Polish industry standards. For all calculations, the geometry of the universal rivet MS20470 was used.

The results show that residual stresses can vary strongly depending on the parameters in the instructions and standard requirements.