Multiple crack propagation by DBEM in a riveted lap-joint

摘要

The fatigue behavior of a riveted lap joint is analyzed with the Dual Boundary Element\udMethod (DBEM). A Multiple Site Damage (MSD) scenario is obtained from the simultaneous\udinitiation, from the most loaded holes, and propagation of different cracks. The analysis is\udbidimensional, with no allowance for secondary bending effects that are judged negligible, due to the\udreduced thicknesses of the involved plates. The lap joint considered has three rivet rows and\udundergoes a uniaxial fatigue load. When the cracks are short in comparison to plate thickness and\udhole diameters the allowance for nonlinear pin-rivet contact condition is provided. Crack faces are\udmeshed using “discontinuous” quadratic elements and Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) are calculated\udby the J-integral approach. The crack growth rate is calculated by the well-known Paris’ law, getting\uda satisfactory correlation between numerical and experimental findings (the latter available from\udliterature).