Abstract
In this study, static and fatigue tests on the self-piercing riveted (SPR) joint were conducted using cross-shaped specimens with aluminum alloy (Al-5052) sheets. Mixed mode loading was achieved by changing the loading angles of 0, 45, and 90 degrees using a special fixture to evaluate the static and fatigue strengths of the SPR joints under mixed mode loading conditions. Simulations of the specimens at three loading angles were carried out using the finite element code ABAQUS. The fatigue specimens failed in an interfacial mode where a crack initiated at the upper sheet and propagated along the longitudinal direction and finally fractured Maximum principal stress, von-Mises effective stress failed to correlate the fatigue lifetimes at three loading angles. However, the equivalent stress intensity factor was found to be appropriate to correlate the fatigue lifetimes at three loading angles.