Fatigue performance prediction of Al-alloy 2024 plates in riveted joint structure

•This paper provides the crack growth and fatigue life estimation of the riveted joint structure.•Fatigue life of the riveted joints is calculated using multiple site damage.•A 3D boundary element model has been applied to estimate the fatigue life.•Parametric fracture analysis in this study was performed using linear elastic fracture mechanics.•Numerical results are in good agreement with those achieved in experimental test. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the fatigue life of 2024 aluminum plates in riveted joints under the influence of cyclic loading. First, the factors affecting the plastic equivalent strain resulting from the riveting process have been identified using the finite element method. For this purpose, a three-dimensional elastoplastic model is used for simulation. The relevant geometrical parameters such as the rivets shank length, the rivets shank diameter, and dimensional tolerances as well as pattern of where the rivets are and the material of the rivet joints are determined and subsequently the fatigue life of the aluminum joint is obtained by experimental tests. Then the fatigue life of the riveted joints is calculated using multiple site damage (MSD). To prove the validity of the analytical results, numerical modeling and experimental tests are performed on 2024 aluminum plates in riveted joints. Numerical analysis has been performed using linear fracture mechanics and boundary element method (BEM) for the fatigue crack growth of 2024 aluminum plates in riveted joints. Finally, the results of the analytical method for fatigue life are compared with experimental tests and numerical method that results in acceptable achievements.