Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Riveting process simulation to predict induced deformations in aeronautical structures

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In aeronautical manufacturing, the assembly of large structures like wings and fuselages usually uses riveting to join the primary parts. The riveting process induces deformations between parts that affect aircraft performance and increase manufacturing costs. In this work, a finite element analysis of a rivet installation is developed to predict the induce deformations as a tool for the design of the assembly process in aeronautical industry. Different from the existing literature, which focuses mainly on fatigue analysis, the method presented in this paper focuses on finding a solution for determining induced deformations that can be applicable, from an industrial perspective, to aircraft production lines. A 2D axisymmetric model represents the installation of a single rivet joining two metal sheets with a force-controlled squeezing. The simplified model is proposed to reduce computational costs. An adaptive meshing scheme is adopted to better describe the forming of the driven head and improve the accuracy of the model. When comparing with existing methods, this attribute allows to better predict the profile of the radial expansion along the thickness of the sheets because the mesh is recalculated at each iteration to prevent distorted elements. Up to 18% relative difference was observed between the mesh with and without adaptive scheme. The results indicate that the radial expansion in the rivet hole is directly related to the squeeze force. An uneven expansion occurs through the thickness of the sheets indicating bending of the material. The mean radial expansion at half-pitch of 4 diameters was used to estimate the radial expansion of a rivet line composed of two or more rivets. The obtained results show that, for a rivet line composed of 50 rivets with a 4-diameter pitch (a panel with 952.5-mm length) the mean radial expansion for a 27.4-kN squeeze force is of 0.5 mm. It was also observed that the inner sheet (closest to the driven head) expands at least three times more than the outer sheet, indicating a bending mechanism is present in the panel.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

D :

Diameter of the driven head

D 0 :

Initial diameter of the rivet shank

D max :

Maximum diameter of the driven head

E :

Elasticity modulus

H :

Height of the driven head

K :

Strength coefficient

n :

Strain hardening exponent

n p :

Number of rivets in the junction line

u r :

Radial expansion of a single rivet

Y :

Rivet line expansion

ν :

Poisson coefficient

σ y :

Yield stress

References

  1. Yoshizato A (2020) Prediction and minimization of excessive distortions and residual stresses in compliant assembled structures. 97p. Thesis (Master of Applied Science) - University of Victoria, Victoria

  2. Rans C, Straznicky PV, Alderliesten R (2007) Riveting process induced residual stresses around solid rivets in mechanical joints. J Aircr. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2514/1.23684

  3. Müller RPG (1995) An experimental and analytical investigation on the fatigue behaviour of fuselage riveted lap joints. 516p. Thesis (Doctor in Aerospace Engineering) - Delft University of Technology, Delft

  4. da Cunha FRS, Figueira JAN, de Barros MC (2010) Methodology to capture induced strains on riveting process of aerospace structures. SAE Technical Papers. [S. l.: s. n.] Available at: https://doi.org/10.4271/2010-36-0016

  5. Szolwinski MP, Farris TN (2000) Linking riveting process parameters to the fatigue performance of riveted aircraft structures. J Aircr. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2514/2.2572

  6. Li G, Shi G (2004) Effect of the riveting process on the residual stress in fuselage lap joints. Can Aeronaut Space J 50(2):91–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Li G, Shi G, Bellinger NC (2006) Study of the residual strain in lap joints. J Aircr. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2514/1.18125

  8. De Rijck JJM (2005) Stress Analysis of Fatigue Cracks in Mechanically Fastened Joints: An analytical and experimental investigation. 302p. Thesis (Doctor in Aerospace Engineering) - Delft University of Technology, Delft

  9. Figueira JAN (2014) Análise de deformações induzidas por rebitagem em estruturas aeronáuticas. 124p. Dissertation (M. Sc. in Aerospace Systems and Mechatronic) - Aeronautics Institute of Technology, São José dos Campos

  10. Aman F et al (2013) Study of the impact of riveting sequence, rivet pitch, and gap between sheets on the quality of riveted lap joints using finite element method. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4504-6

  11. Abdelal GF et al (2015) Numerical and experimental investigation of aircraft panel deformations during riveting process. J Manuf Sci Eng Trans ASME. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4028923

  12. Zheng B, Yu H, Lai X (2017) Assembly deformation prediction of riveted panels by using equivalent mechanical model of riveting process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0262-9

  13. Chang Z et al (2018) Prediction of riveting deformation for thin-walled structures using local-global finite element approach. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-2050-6

  14. Li G, Shi G, Bellinger NC (2012) Assessing the riveting process and the quality of riveted joints in aerospace and other applications. Weld Join Aerosp Mater. [S. l.: s. n.]. E-book. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857095169.2.179

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aeronautics Institute of Technology, São José dos Campos, Brazil

    Carla Verônica Zanatta, Emília Villani, João Marcos Gomes de Mello & José Augusto Nunes Figueira

  2. Embraer S.A., São José dos Campos, Brazil

    Carla Verônica Zanatta & João Marcos Gomes de Mello

  3. OGMA, Alverca Do Ribatejo, Portugal

    José Augusto Nunes Figueira

Authors
  1. Carla Verônica Zanatta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emília Villani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. João Marcos Gomes de Mello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. José Augusto Nunes Figueira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Carla Verônica Zanatta. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Carla Verônica Zanatta, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carla Verônica Zanatta.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

All authors consent to participate in this manuscript.

Consent for publication

All authors consent to publish this manuscript in the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interest.

Additional information

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zanatta, C.V., Villani, E., de Mello, J.M.G. et al. Riveting process simulation to predict induced deformations in aeronautical structures. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 120, 7673–7687 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09247-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09247-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation