Abstract: Rivet arrangements of joints determine the distributions of rivet loads, and then the fatigue lives of joints. Optimization of rivet arrangements of joints will efficiently elongate the fatigue lives of joints. Damage mechanics properly describes the coupling effects of stresses and damage and evolution of damage, by combining stress analysis of structures with damage analysis of materials. This methodology provides a powerful tool of fatigue analysis for engineering structures. Based on the theoretical method of damage mechanics, optimization of rivet arrangements of joints is discussed , under the guideline of “denser spacing of smaller rivets instead of sparser spacing of bigger rivets”(DSSB), and the fatigue lives of the resulting joints are evaluated in aid of finite element code. Those selected designs possess multiple outstanding advantages of stress level reduction, fatigue life extension, and weight minimization of joints comprehensively. Additionally, the damage mechanics method provides the theoretical instruction for joint design against fatigue, with limited experiments within much shorter design period, which can also be adopted as real-time monitor of structure damage evolution.

Key words: Damage mechanics, Fatigue, Life prediction, Rivet, Rivet joint structure