Fatigue life estimation of coach peel riveted joints using multi-axial fatigue criteria

•FEM approach combined with multi-axial fatigue criteria used for a riveted joint.•Good agreement between estimated fatigue lives and existing experimental data.•Capability of approach to estimate fatigue life of different joint configurations.

This study investigates fatigue behaviour of riveted joints in a coach peel configuration under various load ranges and load ratios. Three well-known multi-axial fatigue criteria of Smith–Watson–Topper, Glinka and Fatemi–Socie are used to predict the fatigue life of the joint based on the stress and strain components obtained from a finite element analysis. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed with considering elastic–plastic behaviour of aluminium alloy 2024-T3 for the joint plates as well as frictional contact between all the contacting parts. Fatigue life estimation results agreed well with existing experimental data for the same joint. This verifies the finite element results and shows how well the multi-axial fatigue equations can predict fatigue life of the riveted joints. The finite element modelling approach may be then used with confidence for fatigue life estimations of different configurations of riveted joints.