Effect of rivet arrangement on fatigue performance of electromagnetic riveted joint with Φ10 mm diameter rivet

Electromagnetic riveting (EMR) can effectively form large-diameter rivets and produce high-quality joints. In this paper, the effect of rivet arrangement on fatigue performance of electromagnetic riveted joint was investigated. Quasi-static shear tests, fatigue tests, numerical simulation and microstructure observation were carried out. The results showed that the rivet arrangement had little effect on the shear performance and had a great impact on the fatigue performance of the EMR joint. Specifically, the difference between the average maximum shear load of the V-joints (60.49 kN) and the H-joints (60.41 kN) was small. The fatigue life of the H-joints was higher than that of the V-joints at high fatigue load levels (Fmax>30.225 kN), while the result was opposite at low fatigue load levels (Fmax<30.225 kN). Furthermore, the fatigue fracture analysis showed that there were two typical failure modes for the joints: (I) the rivet fracture, and (II) the sheet fractured on the manufactured head side. The V-joints mainly displayed the coexistence of failure mode I and mode II, while the H-joints displayed failure mode II at all fatigue load levels. At high fatigue load levels, the significant stress concentration in both rivets resulted in the rivet fracture of the V-joints within a relatively short time. Due to multiple extension directions and a smaller extension zone, the fatigue life of H-joints was lower than that of the V-joints at low fatigue load levels. Therefore, the fatigue performance of the component could be improved by choosing a different rivet arrangement.