Residual stress profiles in riveted joints of steel sheets

The residual stress profiles in two different self-piercing riveted (SPR) joints were characterised using the neutron diffraction technique. The joints were produced using semi-tubular steel rivets and carbon steel sheets of different thicknesses and hardnesses. The residual stress in the sheet material inside the bore of the rivet was compressive at the centre and the stress became tensile away from the centre. The stresses found in the semi-tubular rivet were compressive, with a lower magnitude in the rivet head compared with those in the rivet leg. For the SPR joints examined, the compressive residual stress in the rivet leg was greater for the thin joint than the thick joint, and this was due to the higher force gradient encountered during the rivet flaring stage. The originality of this work was to relate the residual stress profile to the physical event that occurred during the SPR process.