Influence of camming imperfections on the resistance of lap shear riveted connections

To investigate its influence on the resistance of lap shear hot-driven riveted connections, a parametric study has been carried out by means of Finite Element (FE) simulations. The examined parameters are the number and the diameter of rivets, the number of shear surfaces, the dimensions of connected plates and the magnitude and orientation of the camming defect. The dimensions of the connections have been selected to be representative of the common details of existing riveted constructions and the FE models have been calibrated against previous experimental tests. The obtained results allowed characterizing in which terms the magnitude and the orientation of the camming defect affect the resistance and failure mode of the connections. In addition, an empirical formula has been derived to predict the resistance of lap shear riveted connections with camming imperfection and its accuracy has been statistically assessed in accordance with EN1990.