Numerical Analysis of Single Riveted lap joint Panels Under Tension load

The aircraft structures are made of riveted lap joints. Usually, spacecraft fuselages involve slim sheet materials that are jointed using mechanical riveted joints that are coordinated in different arrangements. These riveted joints are subjected to structural failures at the fuselage and the wing spars due to different types of loads such as fatigue and impact loads during its service. In this work, 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of lap riveted joints has been carried out. Two case studies are considered for the study. The first case study deals with Finite Element modeling of single row riveted panels under squeeze force and tension load. From this study, it is found that the effect of squeeze force causes high-stress localization at the left-most rivet which is observed as the primary damage zone. The second case study involves, the modeling and analysis of crack on one of the panels where a high-stress concentration is observed. The stress intensity factor at the crack tip is estimated. Further, the cracked lap joint panels are repaired by adhesively bonded patch.