In a structure, a joint is considered as the weakest part, and it should not get separated when subjected to loading, so that an unstable collapse of structure can be avoided. It is important to investigate the failure in joint before it is used in a structure. Failure of a joint depends on various factors such as the geometry of joint configuration, sheet strength that are joined, rivet material used, cracks developed during joining, and many other. Self-Piercing riveting process is a new technology for joining sheet metals in automobile and aircraft industries. This process has many advantages over conventional joining processes. In this thesis, the failure of a self-piercing riveted joint is investigated. Failure of three different riveted configurations under 35m/s and 60m/s velocities were predicted using the general purpose non-linear finite element software LS-DYNA. This research is divided into three stages of work. In the first stage, a 2D simulation of riveting process is carried out over two Aluminum sheets. An r-adaptive methodology is utilized to acquire a higher accuracy of results and to avoid high element distortion. A parametrical study is then conducted to study the effect of rivet penetration velocity and adaptive mesh size varies the quality of the joint. In the second stage of work, a spring back analysis of joint is conducted to study the deformations of work piece after the riveting process. In the third stage, a Peel specimen, a U-shaped single riveted connection, and a U-shaped double riveted connection were investigated for failure under 35 m/s and 60 m/s velocities in both shear and tension testing conditions. Three different loading conditions were used for testing. The results from this study will show how process parameters can influence the quality of riveted joint, amount of deformations that occur in the work piece after the removal of rigid bodies, and failure load of SPR joint in different configurations.

Self-Piercing riveting process is a new technology for joining sheet metals in automobile and aircraft industries. This process has many advantages over conventional joining processes. In this thesis, failure of a self-piercing riveted joint is investigated. Failure of three different riveted configurations under 35m/s and 60m/s velocities were predicted using the general purpose non-linear finite element software LS-DYNA. Detailed discussion about methods of simulation and spring-back analysis have been written in this document.

Due to its speed, low energy requirements, and the fact that it does not require a pre-drilled hole, the technique of self-piercing riveting (SPR) has been increasingly adopted by many industries as a high-speed mechanical fastening technique for the joining of sheet material components. Self-piercing riveting comprehensively reviews the process, equipment, and corrosion behaviour of self-piercing riveting, and also describes the process of evaluation and modelling of strength of self-piercing riveted joints, quality control methods and non-destructive testing. Part one provides an extensive overview of the properties of self-piercing riveting. Chapters in this section review the mechanical strength, fatigue, and corrosion behaviour of self-piercing riveted joints. The second part of the book outlines the processing and applications of SPRs, and describes the dynamic strength evaluation/crashworthiness of SPRs, and the modelling of strength of self-piercing riveted joints, before going on to discuss the assessment of the suitability of materials for self-piercing riveting. The concluding chapters describe the quality control and non-destructive testing of self-piercing riveted joints, optimization of the strength of self-piercing rivets, and provides an overview of self-piercing rivets in the automotive industry and the applications of self-piercing riveting in automated vehicle construction. Self-piercing riveting is a standard reference for engineers and designers in the aerospace, materials, welding, joining, automotive and white goods industries, as well as manufacturers of metal components for the automotive, aerospace, white goods and building industries. Comprehensively reviews the process, equipment, and corrosion behaviour of self-piercing riveting Describes the process of evaluation and modelling of strength of self-piercing riveted joints, quality control methods and non-destructive testing Provides an overview of quality, optimization, applications and strength evaluations of self-piercing riveting

Self-piercing riveting (SPR) is a high-speed mechanical fastening technique for point joining of sheet-material components. SPR is becoming important in automotive applications for aluminium vehicle body assembly. However, compared with current sheet-metal joining processes in the automotive industry, the effects of various parameters such as mechanical properties, rivet setting methods and systems, methods of removing self-piercing rivets, etc. A study examining the effect of specimen configuration on the mechanical behavior of self-piercing riveted, dual-layer joints in aluminium alloys was conducted. It has observed that the specimen configuration had a significant effect on the strength and failure mechanism of a self-piercing riveted dual-layer joint. The basic aspects of SPR process forming by conducting both explicit and implicit analysis have been investigated in this thesis. It was found that the operating force-deformation curve of SPR process was determined by the rivet deformation force and its displacement. Under certain process conditions, an increase in inertia effect due to high velocity of metal forming process results was not significant to an extent. In this research, the springback characteristic parameters of the SPR process were also studied. The springback analysis carried out at the end of the forming process showed that the dimensional change in the part due to springback was not significant.

Welding and joining techniques play an essential role in both the manufacture and in-service repair of aerospace structures and components, and these techniques become more advanced as new, complex materials are developed. Welding and joining of aerospace materials provides an in-depth review of different techniques for joining metallic and non-metallic aerospace materials.Part one opens with a chapter on recently developed welding techniques for aerospace materials. The next few chapters focus on different types of welding such as inertia friction, laser and hybrid laser-arc welding. The final chapter in part one discusses the important issue of heat affected zone cracking in welded superalloys. Part two covers other joining techniques, including chapters on riveting, composite-to-metal bonding, diffusion bonding and recent improvements in bonding metals. Part two concludes with a chapter focusing on the use of high-temperature brazing in aerospace engineering. Finally, an appendix to the book covers the important issue of linear friction welding.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Welding and joining of aerospace materials is an essential reference for engineers and designers in the aerospace, materials and welding and joining industries, as well as companies and other organisations operating in these sectors and all those with an academic research interest in the subject. Provides an in-depth review of different techniques for joining metallic and non-metallic aerospace materials Discusses the important issue of heat affected zone cracking in welded superalloys Covers many joining techniques, including riveting, composite-to-metal bonding and diffusion bonding

Fatigue of the pressurized fuselages of transport aircraft is a significant problem all builders and users of aircraft have to cope with for reasons associated with assuring a sufficient lifetime and safety, and formulating adequate inspection procedures. These aspects are all addressed in various formal protocols for creating and maintaining airworthiness, including damage tolerance considerations. In most transport aircraft, fatigue occurs in lap joints, sometimes leading to circumstances that threaten safety in critical ways. The problem of fatigue of lap joints has been considerably enlarged by the goal of extending aircraft lifetimes. Fatigue of riveted lap joints between aluminium alloy sheets, typical of the pressurized aircraft fuselage, is the major topic of the present book. The richly illustrated and well-structured chapters treat subjects such as: structural design solutions and loading conditions for fuselage skin joints; relevance of laboratory test results for simple lap joint specimens to riveted joints in a real structure; effect of various production and design related variables on the riveted joint fatigue behaviour; analytical and experimental results on load transmission in mechanically fastened lap joints; theoretical and experimental analysis of secondary bending and its implications for riveted joint fatigue performance; nucleation and shape development of fatigue cracks in riveted longitudinal lap joints; overview of experimental investigations into the multi-site damage for full scale fuselage panels and riveted lap joint specimens; fatigue crack growth and fatigue life prediction methodology for riveted lap joints; residual strength predictions for riveted lap joints in a fuselage structure. The major issues of each chapter are recapitulated in the last section.