Author(s)

Q. Collette, I. Wouters & L. Lauriks

Abstract

Riveting was one of the major joining techniques used for the assembly of iron and steel structures. Being widely used since 1860, today most of the existing riveted structures need maintenance and possibly strengthening. This research aims to improve the existing knowledge on this type of fasteners in order to stimulate less intrusive interventions during renovation, respecting the historical character of these structures. To reach this goal, a multidisciplinary literature study is carried out, dealing with three related topics: historical analysis (historical context, fields of use, types of riveted connections, comparison with other contemporary joining techniques), technical subjects (definition, material, joining typologies, forms of the rivet head, installation processes and techniques) and structural understanding (bearing principle, strength of riveted connections, calculation methods). Keywords: riveted connections, iron and steel, historical analysis, technical know-how, structural understanding, joining typologies, installation techniques, calculation methods. 1 Introduction Although considered as an emblematic type of fastener characterizing 19th and 20th century iron and steel constructions, riveted connections were first introduced by two other branches of industry, namely boilermaking and the shipbuilding industry. Thanks to the advent of the industrial revolution and the major technological innovations of the iron and steel industry, rivets became massively and widely used for various constructions (civil engineering,

Keywords

riveted connections, iron and steel, historical analysis, technical know-how, structural understanding, joining typologies, installation techniques, calculation methods