An examination of faying surface fretting in single lap splices

While fretting damage in mechanically fastened joints is widely acknowledged as a common source of crack nucleation, little work is available in the open literature on the role that fretting damage plays in the fatigue life of a riveted joint. To expand on the limited knowledge available, a study was undertaken on fretting fatigue in thin-sheet riveted fuselage lap joints. In joints constructed out of 1 mm thick 2024-T3 aluminum sheet the rivet forming load was found to have a significant effect on the location of fretting damage and crack nucleation. This effect was observed for splices riveted with machine countersunk and with universal rivets. The shift in the location of peak fretting damage and crack nucleation with changing rivet forming loads was investigated through numerical and experimental methods.;A predictive model based on the critical plane Smith-Watson-Topper strain life equation was applied to the complex geometry of the single lap splice and was shown to be effective in predicting the fretting fatigue life as well as the location of fretting-induced crack nucleation. Basing this model on an explicit finite element simulation allowed for the inclusion of compressive residual stresses generated during rivet forming. Key to the proper functionality of the predictive model was to have a validated finite element model from which results for the stress and strain field in the loaded component could be obtained.;In addition to the predictive model, a series of splice coupon and simplified geometry fretting fatigue tests were performed. The tests showed that, at higher rivet forming loads, crack nucleation is on the faying surface away from the hole edge and that the type of surface condition is important to the fretting fatigue life of the splice. The discovery of this variation with surface treatment at high rivet forming loads is important as more research is showing the benefit of using load-controlled rivet forming and higher rivet forming loads in the manufacturing of lap splices to increase the fatigue life.