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Recent studies have proposed the application of local fatigue approaches based on fracture mechanics or on strain-life material relations for the fatigue analysis of metallic structures. However, only few studies in the literature apply local approaches in the riveted bridges analysis; although these approaches can be applied to any type of connections, requiring a detailed stress analysis of joints and, consequently, considerable computational resources costs. The approach based on S-N curves, formulated in nominal or net stresses, is more usual in the fatigue analysis of riveted bridges. Due to economic factors, riveted bridges have had their operating life extended, while changes in the transport system over the years have subjected such structures to overloads different from those originally planned. These bridges, most of them centenary, were not originally designed accounting for fatigue damage; they represent an important group of structures that are very likely subjected to significant fatigue damage indexes. These factors make necessary detailed residual fatigue life studies to substantiate the decisions of extend (or not) the operational period of these bridges. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The present paper presents a methodology aiming at applying the local approaches in the fatigue analysis of riveted joints of metallic bridges, through the use of sub-modeling techniques and procedures automation. The use of such techniques made such an application viable by keeping the computational costs involved at a moderate level. The proposed procedures were demonstrated using the Trezói Railway Bridge, located on the Beira Alta line, Portugal, built shortly after the Second World War. The proposed set of procedures allowed, through finite elements analysis, to obtain the relevant stresses to perform local fatigue damage analysis. A global structural model was constructed, using beam elements, and local models of a critical node were built with solid finite elements. The structure is analyzed under the passage of regulatory trains. The details of the modeling performed and the computation of the principal stresses in the vicinity of a node and the tangential/circumferential stresses at the holes of two critical riveted connections of that node are analyzed and a fatigue damage analysis is carried out.

In the proposed submodelling approach, disassembling the complex riveted nodes into riveted subassemblies allowed the evaluation of the local stresses at riveted holes at an affordable computational cost.

A methodology is proposed to allow the application of local fatigue analysis in real complex riveted joints, mitigating the computational costs that would result from a full model of the node with all rivets.

For the automatic drilling and riveting in panel assembly, gaps between the skin and strangers are inevitable and undesirable. At present, the determination of pre-joining schemes relies on workers’ experience, introducing excessive number and inappropriate locations of pre-joining. This paper aims to present a new method for the evaluation of residual clearances after pre-joining and the pre-joining scheme optimization, providing operation guidance for the workers in panel assembly workshop.

In this paper, an equivalent gap assembly model for pre-joining is proposed on the basis of the mechanism of variation. This model retains the essential elastic behavior of the key features during the pre-joining operation and calculates the residual clearances in the view of the potential energy. Subsequently, this method is embedded into a Pareto optimality-based genetic algorithm, and the optimal pre-joining schemes are achieved with the consideration of the total residual clearances and the permissive tolerances.

The equivalent gap assembly model has the capability to predict an acceptable degree of accuracy of the residual clearances and achieve the optimized pre-joining schemes with less number of pre-joining at the same level of residual clearances.

The optimized pre-joining schemes are given in the form of Pareto optimality set, and workers can select suitable results according to their inclination to the quality and efficiency.

The paper is the first to propose the equivalent gap assembly model for the pre-joining operation, which provides for the simplification of the calculation of residual clearances based on the constrained variation principles.

Determinative locating and riveting distortions are highly coupled at assembly locale. Recent methods only take every tested or assumed locating errors at the mating surface into the process planning for the assemblies in a simple form. However, the growth of part number makes it nearly infeasible to take every locating error at every mating surface into the dimensional precision calculation. This paper aims to provide a solid riveting process planning for the reduction of practical locating-related distortions.

Large-scale metrology firstly measures the determinative coordinates for the locating-deviated key points. Iterative finite element (FE) analyses then calculate the riveting-related key point distortions from every rivet upsetting directions (UDs) and assembly sequence. These key points on the actual assembly contour and relative FE nodes yield two virtual planes. Virtual plane manipulation adds the riveting distortions into the locating-deviated coordinates. Finally, optimal algorithm integrates the iterative FE analyses with virtual plane manipulation.

Case studies validate that the virtual plane manipulation coincides with the test well, and the proposed method has good compensation of practical locating distortion.

The optimized rivet UDs may be set in a chaotic distribution, which may complicate the abundant riveting operations and the assembly appearance. Therefore, the use of automatic riveting systems can overcome the operational complexity, and the industrial design of rivet UD distribution will improve the assembly appearance.

The optimized UDs and assembly sequence are for assembly workers or automatic riveting systems.

The proposed method is the first to reduce the determinative locating distortion by a novel and efficient solid riveting process planning in detail, and the solid riveting process designed is conservative and accurate for practice.

The present investigation is oriented towards the design of an energy absorbing aluminium subfloor for a new Agusta helicopter. To identify the detailed design and the structural concepts for the most efficient mechanism of energy absorption, the typical subfloor components have to be investigated. Design aspects focus in more detail on the subfloor structural intersections, because, under vertical crash loads, they can create high deceleration peak loads at the cabin floor level and cause dangerous inputs to the seat/occupant system. The crash behaviour and energy absorption capability of the subfloor structural intersections are investigated by experimental drop tests and finite element analyses. Presents the correlation between crash data and numerical results.

A novel development process aims at finding solutions for lightweight stiffened shell structures and their efficient production. To respect the strong interdependency of structural design and production planning, particularly observed for composite structures, it is of high interest to start considering production effects in early development phases. This integrated approach requires an integrated representation of structure and production. The purpose of this study is to investigate the scope of relevant data and to find a structure for its representation.

The development task is analyzed and a system of so-called solution dimensions is presented, which covers all important aspects of stiffened shell structures and their production. An integrated product data model is developed to cover all of the solution dimensions.

The product data model consists of five coherent partial models. It is explained how these models are defined and how they are connected to each other. An academic example of an aircraft fuselage panel is used to demonstrate the definition process. It is shown how even complex structural concepts are defined systematically.

It is explained how this integrated product data model is used in a software project for the development of aircraft fuselage structures.

The presented approach for the definition and representation of stiffened shell structures enables the developer, e.g. of aircraft fuselage, to respect the crucial criterion of manufacturability from early development phases on. Further, new design approaches, e.g. as inspired by topology optimization, can be considered.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a computational approach in order to help establish the effect of various self-piercing rivet (SPR) process and material parameters on the quality and the mechanical performance of the resulting SPR joints.

Toward that end, a sequence of three distinct computational analyses is developed. These analyses include: (a) finite-element modeling and simulations of the SPR process; (b) determination of the mechanical properties of the resulting SPR joints through the use of three-dimensional, continuum finite-element-based numerical simulations of various mechanical tests performed on the SPR joints; and (c) determination, parameterization and validation of the constitutive relations for the simplified SPR connectors, using the results obtained in (b) and the available experimental results. The availability of such connectors is mandatory in large-scale computational analyses of whole-vehicle crash or even in simulations of vehicle component manufacturing, e.g. car-body electro-coat paint-baking process. In such simulations, explicit three-dimensional representation of all SPR joints is associated with a prohibitive computational cost.

It is found that the approach developed in the present work can be used, within an engineering optimization procedure, to adjust the SPR process and material parameters (design variables) in order to obtain a desired combination of the SPR-joint mechanical properties (objective function).

To the authors’ knowledge, the present work is the first public-domain report of the comprehensive modeling and simulations including: self-piercing process; virtual mechanical testing of the SPR joints; and derivation of the constitutive relations for the SPR connector elements.

The riveting process is a metal forming process involving complex elastic-plastic deformation, which will induce a compressive residual stress field and cause local distortions in the connecting areas. Regarding to the aircraft panel assemblies with plenty of rivets, the global deformation is inevitable and undesired, leading difficulties to downstream assembly processes. This paper aims to present a new method for the local distortion calculation and the global deformation prediction of sheet panel assemblies during the automated riveting process.

In this paper, a simplified algebraic study is presented to analyze the local distortion of single countersunk rivet joint with the consideration of the barrel-like shape of the driven head and the through-thickness variations along the rivet shank. Then, an equivalent rivet unit is proposed based on the result of the algebraic study and embedded into the global-level model for the prediction of the overall distortions of riveted panels.

The algebraic study is able to reach a more precise contour of the deformed rivet than the traditional assumption of cylindrical deformations and rapidly determine the equivalent coefficients of the riveting unit. The result also shows an industrial acceptable accuracy of the prediction for the global deformations of the double-layered panel assemblies widely used in the aircraft panel structures.

A new local-global method for predicting the deformations of the riveted panel assembly based on the algebraic study of the local distortions is proposed to help the engineers in the early design stages or in the assembly process planning stage.

The fuselage riveted lap-joints are susceptible to multiple site damage (MSD) and should be considered in damage tolerance analysis. This paper aims to investigate the stress intensity factor (SIF) and crack growth simulation for lap-joints based on three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis.

The 3D finite element model of lap-joints is established by detailed representation of rivets and considering the rivet clamping force and friction. Numerical study is conducted to investigate the SIF distribution along the thickness direction and the effect of clamping force. A predictive method for the cracks propagation of MSD is then developed, in which an integral mean is adopted to quantify the SIF at crack tips, and the crack closure effect is considered. For comparison, a fatigue test of a lap-joint with MSD cracks is conducted to determine the cracks growth live and measure the cracks growth.

The numerical study shows that the through-thickness crack at riveted hole in lap-joints can be treated as mode I crack. The distribution of SIF along the thickness direction is inconstant and nonmonotonic. Besides, the increase in clamping force will lead to more frictional load transfer at the faying surfaces. The multiple crack growth simulation results agreed well with the experimental data.

The novelty of this work is that the SIF distribution along the thickness direction and the MSD cracks growth simulation for lap-joints are investigated by 3D finite element analysis, which can reflect the secondary bending, rivet clamping, contact and friction in lap-joints.

Large structures (e.g. plane, bridge, etc.) often include several hundreds of assembly points. Structural computations often use over-simplistic approximations for these points; among others, they do not take into account the thermo-mechanical history due to the assembling process. Running computations with each assembly point modelled completely would require too much time to achieve a simulation. There is thus a need to create equivalent elements for assembly points in order to: take into account the mechanical state of the assembly point in the design stage – while reducing the computational time cost at the same time. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper introduces an innovative strategy based on a coupling procedure between a finite element tool for modelling the assembly process in order to access to the mechanical state of the assembly point and an optimisation algorithm, in order to identify the equivalent element parameters.

The strategy has proven to be successful. A connector model easier to use and much faster than the complete model, has been obtained. Results obtained with this element are in good agreement with experimental tests in the case of multipoint assemblies and with the simulation results of the complete numerical model. Finally the connector model appears to be easier to use and much faster than the complete model, more difficult to model properly.

The main innovative aspects of this strategy lie in the fact that the creation of this equivalent element is based on a complete numerical approach. The thermo-mechanical history due to the assembly process is considered – the element parameters are identified thanks to an evolution strategy based on the coupling between a finite element model and a zero-order minimisation algorithm.

The riveting with blind rivets is extensively used in railway structures, which are mainly composed of aluminium. The lack of knowledge in this process makes the railway constructors to over‐proportion the number of rivets used in the structures and to perform a lot of tests in order to validate them. To better understand the different phenomena occurring during this process, a numerical model has been made, based on experimental tests. Considering the diversity of assemblies found in a railway structure (various diameter values of rivet, thickness and multiple materials of sheet metal assemblies, etc.), we propose a methodology based on the simulation of their behaviour. The numerical model allows to avoid high characterisation costs based only on experience.