BAMEE205 Engineering Innovation

and Modelling
Module 3 - 3
Design of Fasteners and Permanent Joints
Riveted, Bolted and Welded Joints

Dr. Annamalai K
Senior Professor
School of Mechanical Engineering
VIT Chennai
 Mechanical Joints
Mechanical joints are broadly classified into two classes, viz.,

Non-permanent joints and permanent joints.

Non-permanent joints can be assembled and disassembled without

damaging the components. Examples of such joints are threaded
fasteners (like screw-joints), keys, couplings, etc.

Permanent joints cannot be disassembled without damaging the

components.
Riveted joints, joints formed by press or interference fit, etc., where
two components are joined by applying mechanical force.

The components can also be joined by molecular force, for example,

welded joints, brazed joints, joints with adhesives, etc.
 Key differences
Riveted Joints:
Use mechanical fasteners (rivets) to create strong, permanent joints that resist
vibration. The process involves drilling holes and deforming the rivet's tail to
create the fastening.

Bolted Joints:
Employ nuts and bolts to join components. They offer flexibility and allow for
movement and disassembly, making them ideal for applications where
maintenance or adjustment is needed.

Welded Joints:
Create permanent, seamless connections by fusing materials with heat. They
are known for their strength, rigidity, and superior aesthetic appeal compared
to mechanical fasteners,
 Riveting
Riveting is an operation whereby two plates are joined with the help of a rivet.
Adequate mechanical force is applied to make the joint strong and leak proof.
Smooth holes are drilled (or punched and reamed) in two plates to be joined, and
the rivet is inserted. holding, and then the head is formed by means of a backing up
bar. The necessary force is applied at the tail end with a die until the tail deforms
plastically to the required shape.
Riveting Methods
Hand Riveting
A die is placed on the protruding end of the shank,
and blows are applied by a hammer.
Machine Riveting
Here the die is a part of the hammer, which is operated by pneumatic,
hydraulic, or steam pressure.
Depending upon whether the rivet is initially heated or not, the riveting operation
can also be of two types:
a) cold riveting – riveting is done at ambient temperature and
b) hot riveting – rivets are initially heated before applying
force.
 Riveted Joints - Rivets and Riveting
A rivet is a short cylindrical rod having a head and a tapered tail.
The main body of the rivet is called the shank. According to Indian
standard specifications, rivet heads are of various types.
 Types of Riveted Joints
Lap Joint and Butt Joint
Lap Joint:
The plates that are to be joined are brought face-to-face so that an
overlap exists. Rivets are inserted in the overlapping portion. Single
or multiple rows of rivets are used to give strength to the joint.
Depending upon the number of rows, the riveted joints may be
classified as single riveted lap joint, double or triple riveted
lap joints, etc.
When multiple joints are used, the arrangement of rivets between
two neighboring rows may be of two kinds. In chain riveting, the
adjacent rows have rivets in the same transverse line. In zig-zag
riveting, on the other hand, the adjacent rows of rivets are
staggered.
Riveting

Lap Joint

But Joint
Butt Joint
In this type of joint, the plates are brought to each other without
forming any overlap. Riveted joints are formed between each of the
plates and one or two cover plates.
Depending upon the number of cover plates, the butt joints may be
single- or double-strap butt joints. Like lap joints, the
arrangement of the rivets may be of various kinds, namely, single row,
double or triple chain, or zigzag.
 Joint Efficiency
The strength of a riveted joint is measured by its efficiency.

The efficiency of a joint is defined as the ratio between the strength of

a riveted joint and the strength of an unriveted joint or a solid
plate.

Obviously, the efficiency of the riveted joint depends not only on the size
and strength of the individual rivets but also on the overall arrangement
and the type of joints.
 Important terms used in riveted joints:
The following are the important parameters that are required to specify
the arrangement of rivets in a riveted joint.

Pitch: This is the distance between the two centers of the consecutive
rivets in a single row. (usual symbol: p)
Back Pitch: This is the shortest distance between two successive
rows in a multiple riveted joint. (usual symbol: pt or pb)
Diagonal pitch: This is the distance between the centers of rivets in
adjacent rows of zigzag riveted joint. (usual symbol: pd)
Margin or marginal pitch: This is the distance between the centre
of the rivet hole and the nearest edge of the plate. (usual symbol: m)
 Strength of the riveted joint:
The strength of a riveted joint is evaluated, taking all possible failure
paths in the joint into account. There are four possible ways a single
rivet joint may fail.
(ii) Shearing of the rivet:
The rivet may shear, as shown in the [Link] maximum
force withstood by the joint to prevent this failure is
(iii) Crushing of rivets:
If the bearing stress on the rivet is too large,
the contact surface between the rivet and the plate may get damaged.

With a simple assumption of uniform contact stress,

the maximum force allowed is Pc=n.d.t.σc
where
σc=allowable bearing stress between the rivet and plate material.
(iv) Tearing of the plate at edge:
If the margin is too small, the plate may fail, as shown in the figure. To
prevent failure, a minimum margin of m = 1.5d is usually provided.
 Efficiency
Efficiency of the single riveted joint can be obtained as ratio between the
minimum Pt,Ps and Pc and the load carried by a solid plate which is p.t.σt

In a double or triple riveted joint the failure mechanisms may be more than
those discussed above.
 Design of Riveted Joints
The design parameters in a riveted joint are d, p and m
Diameter of the hole (d): When thickness of the plate (t) is more than 8
mm,
d is obtained by equating crushing strength to the shear strength of the joint.

Pitch (p): Pitch is designed by equating the tearing strength of the plate to the
minimum of shear strength or crushing strength of the rivets.
In a double riveted lap joint, this takes the following form.

Margin (m): m=1.5d