Abstract
Structural components of modern aircraft are subjected to elevated temperatures by jet power plants and by skin friction resulting from supersonic speeds. Some of these high-temperature-aircraft structural components are riveted connections. Considerable experimental data are available on the creep of riveted connections used in aircraft [1]. However, a survey of the literature shows a lack of results on the theoretical prediction of creep in riveted connections from the usual creep and creep-rupture data for simple tension. The creep of a riveted joint is dependent on various factors including rivet diameter, rivet lengths, and plate thicknesses. This influence of size means that each particular riveted joint must be tested to obtain the necessary information. A basic approach to the problem is theoretically to predict the creep behavior of riveted joints from creep in simple tension. One of the important parts of the creep deformation of a riveted connection, Fig. 1(a), is the creep of the rivet. This paper deals with an approximate theoretical prediction of the creep deflection in a rivet based upon the creep constants of the material in simple tension.
