Multiple crack propagation by DBEM in a riveted lap-joint

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