Fatigue behaviors of self-piercing rivets joining similar and dissimilar sheet metals

Abstract This paper summarizes the fatigue test results of self-piercing rivet (SPR) joints between similar and dissimilar sheet metals. The influences of material grades, material thickness, piercing direction and the use of structural adhesive on the rivet samples’ fatigue behaviors were investigated. Fatigue test results indicate that SPR joints have superior fatigue strength than resistance spot weld (RSW) joints for the same material combinations. The application of structural adhesive also significantly enhances the fatigue strength of the joint samples; this is particularly true for the lap-shear loading configuration. In addition, different piercing directions for SPR joints have a noticeable effect on the static and fatigue strength of the joints. The joint fatigue results presented in this paper offer design engineers the durability data for SPR joints with various material combinations under different loading conditions. Moreover, it provides manufacturing engineers with some insights on the effects of different manufacturing parameters on the strength and durability of these joints.