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Project: Bridgeguard 3 Status: Issue 2

Current Information Sheet No 32 Date: March 2004

CURRENT INFORMATION SHEET NO 32

SUBJECT: STRENGTH OF RIVETS

This Current Information Sheet is issued for guidance purposes only: it is not mandatory. The
Assessor must be satisfied that the advice given in this Information Sheet is appropriate to the
structure in question.

1. Introduction

This Current Information Sheet applies to the assessment of shear in riveted connections
in metal beam bridge decks. It is concerned with shear in the rivets; bearing stress, which
is not normally critical, should continue to be assessed in accordance with SO 21 and
SO 56.

Experience with bridge assessment has shown that static rivet strength as calculated
using the above assessment standards frequently governs the capacity of girders

resisting horizontal shear using the ~ approach.

I

Rivet shear is sometimes also found to govern the capacity at flange and web splices, yet
rivet failures are almost unknown.

This Current Information Sheet describes a revised method of calculating rivet shear
based
Networkon Rail
studies into the shear and
and rivet capacity of metal
is the girders carried out on
by Cass Hayward Partners. This approach adopted in behalf
Networkof .

Rail Company Code of Practice RT/CE/C/025 The Structural Assessment of

Underbridges, and is less onerous than the requirements of the standards SO 21 and
SO 56.

As Technical Approval Authority for its own bridges, Network Rail is able to grant a
derogation of the standards SO 21 and SO 56 although this must be referenced in Form
M.

2. Rivets in Shear

In a fastener subjected to shear only the average ultimate shear stress should not
cr
exceed ---~
YmYf3",2

Where, O'q= 0.9crult

Ym= 1.20 for web/flange rivets,
1.33 for all other rivets.
Yf3= 1.1
O'utt
= ultimate tensile strength of the rivet material, to be taken as: -
350 N/mm2 for wrought iron,
430 N/mm2 for pre 1905 steel,
450 N/mm2 for post 1905 steel.

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Project: Bridgeguard 3 Status: Issue 2

Current Information Sheet No 32 Date: March 2004

Riveted web to flange connections made using flange angles (both side of web), with the
rivet size and spacing configuration shown in Table 1, have at least equivalent capacities
to webs up to the tabulated thickness, No explicit calculation of shear or bearing capacity
is required for these configurations, provided the web is adequate.

Maximum Web Thickness

3/4" rivets 7/8" rivets 1" rivets
4" centres 4" centres 4" centres
WROUGHT IRON
characteristic yield stress of web
plate material = 220N/mm2 7/16" 9/16" 3/4"
uts of rivet material = 350N/mm2
Ym(web shear) = 1.2
STEEL PRE 1905
characteristic yield stress of web
plate material = 230N/mm2 7/16" 9/16" 3/4"
i uts of rivet material = 430N/mm2
: Ym(web shear) = 1.05
STEEL POST 1905
characteristic yield stress of web
plate material = 230N/mm2 7/16" 5/8" 13/16"
uts of rivet material = 450N/mm2
Ym(web shear) = 1.05
This table only applies for girders and rivets with the assumed characteristic yield stress
and uts shown in the above table. For all other material property combinations the
connection capacity should be determined by calculation.
Table1 .

3. Rivets in Bearing

The bearing pressure between a fastener and each of the connected parts should
continue to be assessed in accordance with SO 21 and SO 56.

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