Design of Permanent Joints:

Riveted Joints
Chapter 1 (Part D)
 Introduction
• Riveted joints have been widely employed in various
engineering structures, such as ships, boilers, bridges,
etc.
• The use of riveted joints has considerably been reduced
due to the rapid development of welding techniques
• Rivets are the main kind of fasteners in light frames and
thin sheet shells made of light metals and alloys such as
aluminium
• Light alloys are difficult to weld
• The material of the rivets must be tough and ductile
• Usually made of steel, brass, aluminium or copper
• When strength and a fluid tight joint is the main
consideration, steel rivets are used
Rivets – Applications and
Advantages
 Used primarily for lap joints
 Example: a primary fastening method in aircraft and
aerospace industries
 Advantages:
 High production rates
 Simplicity
 Dependability
 Low cost
Applications
Types of Rivet Heads
(Solid rivets)
 Types of Rivet Heads
(Solid rivets)

Used whenever the rivet head must not project.

However, the connection can only support lower
loads
 Types of Rivet Heads
(Solid Rivets)

Oval head rivets are still used in many cases for stairs, treads and
catwalks where the surface must be non-slip and safe to walk on
without risk of an accident
 Types of Rivet Heads
(Solid Rivets)

Countersunk head rivets join soft materials such as leather, felt,

rubber (no tearing)
Types of Rivet Heads
(Hollow Rivets)
Types of Rivet Heads
(Hollow Rivets)
 Types of Rivet Heads
(Tubular Rivets)

This type of rivet is frequently used to join metal parts with sensitive
materials (leather, cardboard, plastics) in electrical engineering and
in the toy industry. A further advantage of these tubular rivets is that
cables can be led through the very clean hallow part
Types of Rivet Heads
(Expanding Rivets)
•No special tools are required for these rivets. A
hammer is used to drive a pressed slotted pin or a
grooved expanding metal mandrel into the hollow
part. This creates a firm connection with good
properties against vibration
 Types of Rivet Heads
(Semi-tubular pan head Rivets)

•Semi-tubular or tubular rivets have gone through

an additional step during forming, with the creation
of a deep cylindrical hole on the part opposite the
head
Types of Rivet
Heads
(Two-piece
hollow Rivets)
Types of Rivet Heads
(Blind Rivets)

•This type of rivet has gained greatly in

importance, in particular for joining thin-
walled plates or in hollow profile
construction.
•In addition, the great advantage is that the
rivet can be inserted from one side, i.e. it is
fitted blind.
•The rivet consists of the rivet sleeve and a
mandreal.
•Two types ore differentiated as follows:
Closed blind rivets (cup-type blind rivets)
are suitable for making splash-proof
connections
Types of Rivet Heads
(Rivet nuts)

•These nuts are mainly used with hollow

bodies, because they can only be set
from one side (blind assembly)
•Blind rivet nuts combine to fastening
types: Blind riveting and an additional
screwscrew assembly
 Types of Riveted joints:

1. According to purpose of rivets:

Based on purpose the riveted joints can be classified into three types:
• Strong Joints: Strong rivet joints strength is the only criterion. These joints are
used in engineering structure such as trusses, beams and machine frames.
• Tight Joints: Tight rivet joints provide strength as well as are leak proof against
low pressures. Joints in reservoirs, containers and tanks fall under this group.
• Strong Tight Joints: Strong tight rivet joints are used in boilers and pressure
vessels and ensure both strength and leak proofness.
2. According to position of plates connected:
According to the position of plates connected riveted joints are classified into two types:
• Lap joint: In a lap joint the edges of plates are simply laid over each other and
riveted.
• Butt joint: In Butt joint plates lie in the same plane and jointed through cover
plates.
Tooling and 1. Impact - pneumatic
hammer delivers a
Methods for succession of blows
Rivets to upset the rivet
2. Steady compression
- riveting tool applies
a continuous
squeezing pressure to
upset the rivet
3. Combination of
impact and
compression
Important terms used in riveted joints:

•Few parameters, which are required to specify

arrangement of rivets in a riveted joint are as follows:

•Pitch: This is the distance between two centers of a

consecutive rivets in a single row. (usual symbol is )
•Back pitch: This is the shortest distance between two
successive rows in a multiple riveted joint (usual symbol
or )
•Diagonal pitch: This is the distance between the centers
of rivets in adjacent rows of zigzag riveted joint (usual
symbol )
•Margin or marginal pitch: This is the distance between
the center of the rivet hole to the nearest edge of the
plate. (usual symbol m).
These parameters are shown in the figure
 Failures of
Riveted Joints

1. Tearing of the
plate at an edge. A
joint may fail due to
tearing of the plate at
an edge as shown in
Fig. This can be
avoided by keeping
the margin, m = 1.5d,
where d is the
diameter of the rivet
hole.
 Failures of Riveted Joints

• Tearing of the plate across a row of rivets. Due to the tensile stresses in the main plates, the main plate or cover plates
may tear off across a row of rivets as shown in Fig. In such cases, we consider only one pitch length of the plate, since
every rivet is responsible for that much length of the plate only.
The resistance offered by the plate against tearing is known as tearing resistance or tearing
strength or tearing value of the plate.
Let p = Pitch of the rivets,
d = Diameter of the rivet hole
t = Thickness of the plate, and
= Permissible tensile stress for the plate material
We know that tearing area per pitch length,

Tearing resistance or pull required to tear off the plate per pitch length,

When the tearing resistance ( is greater than the applied load (P) per pitch length, then this type of
failure will not accur
Failures of Riveted Joints
 Failures of Riveted Joints

3. Shearing of the rivets. The plates which are connected by the rivets exert tensile stress on the
rivets, and if the rivets are unable to resist the stress, they are sheared off as shown in the figure.

It may be noted that the rivets are in

*single shear in a lap joint and in a
single cover butt joint, as shown in
Fig. 9.15. But the rivets are in double
shear in a double cover butt joint as
shown in Fig.9.16.

The resistance offered by a rivet to

be sheared off is known as shearing
resistance or shearing strength or
shearing value of the rivet.
 Failures of Riveted Joints
4. Crushing of the plate or rivets. Sometimes, the rivets do not actually shear off under
the tensile stress, but are crushed as shown in Fig. 9.17. Due to this, the rivet hole
becomes of an oval shape and hence the joint becomes loose. The failure of rivets in such
a manner is also known as bearing failure. The area which resists this action is the
projected area of the hole or rivet on diametral plane.
 Failures of Riveted Joints
5. Strength of the joint: The strength of the joint is defined as the maximum value of
the load it can transmit. It is the smallest value of Pt, Ps and Pc.
6. Strength of the solid plate: The strength of the solid plate per pitch length is
calculated after ignoring the rivet hole.

7. Efficiency of the joint: It is defined as the ratio of the strength of riveted joint to the
strength of the solid plate.
Galvanic Corrosion
Basic Components
of a Rivet
Avoiding Galvanic Corrosion
Removal of Blind Rivets
Next Lesson:

Calculation examples