Modeling and Simulation of Two Plates Connected Via a Single Riveted Lap-Joint

Rivets and riveted lap joints are important mechanical fasteners that are used in a large variety of applications, and their performance depends on many parameters. The goal of this study is to model and simulate two plates joined together by a riveted lap joint. Four configurations were used, which are 2-vertical, 2-horizontal, 4-inline and 4-staggered configurations, and diameters of 0.2 cm to 0.4 cm were also used. The plate was subjected to forces ranging between 2000 N to 8000 N. Results have shown that the 4-inline configuration was the best due to its lower stresses than the other configurations, followed by the 2-vertical configuration. The 2-horizontal and 4-staggered configurations had the worst performance and had similar performance. Stresses produced by the forces had a linear relationship with the magnitude of force. Finally, the results showed that the best rivet design was the 4-inline configuration with a diameter of 0.4 cm, since increasing the diameter beyond that had a much lower benefit.