Rivets and Bolts: Fatigue Test of Joints of High-Strength Steel

A program of fatigue testing, in direct tension, of joints made from structural steels having various properties is presented herein. Rivets and high-strength (A325) bolts were used as fasteners, but the middle plate of the double-lap specimens was always the critical element in fatigue. The clamping force was the most important variable governing the fatigue strength of the joints tested. In the riveted joints, the variations of clamping force subordinated whatever superiority one steel had over another. Joints having high clamping force have high fatigue strength; the joints connected with high-strength bolts show much higher fatigue strength than those connected with rivets, even approaching the yield points of some of the steels.