Fatigue behaviour and life prediction of self-piercing riveted joints in DP590/AA5754 dissimilar sheets

•The microstructure, fracture behavior and failure mechanism of the joints was analyzed from macro and micro perspectives.•The fatigue failure mechanism and fatigue fretting mechanism of DP590/AA5754 self-piercing riveting joint under different load levels were investigated.•Fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of self-piercing riveting joint are revealed.•It is revealed that there is a competitive relationship between the crack propagation of the lower sheet and the rivet during the fatigue failure of the self-piercing rivet.•The fatigue life of DP590/AA5754 self-piercing riveting joints were estimated using Paris law. This paper investigates the fatigue properties of self-piercing riveted joints made by DP590 steel and AA5754 aluminium alloy. The fatigue failure mechanism and fatigue fretting mechanism of the joint were well revealed by analysing the microstructure features of fracture surfaces of sheets and rivets as well as viewing and measuring the distribution and chemical composition of fretting debris. The fatigue life of the joint was also predicted based on the stress intensity factor of the kinked crack of the lower sheet. The results confirmed that two failure modes occurred during fatigue: lower sheet fracture and rivet fracture. During the fatigue failure, cracks appeared in both the lower sheet and the rivets, indicating a competitive relationship between the propagation of cracks in the lower sheet and the rivets. In the range of 40 % and 50 % load level, fatigue crack propagation of the lower sheet is dominant and fracture failure of the lower sheet occurs. Rivet fatigue crack propagation has a significant advantage in the 60 % load range and rivet fracture failure often occurs. It was found that the fatigue failure of the lower sheet is mainly influenced by the main crack, which produces two different morphological sections. Fretting wear of the contact surface was the source of crack initiation, and the fretting debris promoted crack initiation and propagation. Cracks propagate along the width and thickness of the plate, as well as the thickness of the rivet neck. The stress intensity factor range can properly predict the fatigue life of joints.