Lap shear tests on repaired wrought-iron riveted connections

• The field head eccentricity and visible defects do not affect the shear behaviour.
• Most riveted specimens failed in tension (plate net section failure).
• The shear behaviour of original specimens shows a large scatter of the results.
• The repair intervention increased the ultimate shear load significantly.
• Modern steel materials and techniques improve the ultimate shear behaviour.

Engineers assessing and strengthening the structural safety of 19th-century wrought-iron riveted connections need information on the materials applied, the riveting technology and the impact of remedial works. However, the structural impact of actual remedial works on wrought-iron riveted connections remains little known to this day. Therefore, a lap shear test campaign on single riveted single lap joints made of wrought iron was carried out. Both original and repaired riveted lap joints were designed, fabricated and tested. This paper reports on the ultimate shear behaviour of wrought-iron riveted connections and covers the effect of the quality of riveting. The shear tests showed that original riveted specimens failed in tension (plate net section failure). The repair intervention involving modern steel materials and techniques improved the ultimate shear behaviour significantly.