What are the failure modes of a rivet joint?

The three main failure modes are: (1) Rivet shear — rivets fail in shear across their cross-section, (2) Bearing failure — the rivet crushes into the plate material, and (3) Plate tear-out — the plate tears between rivet holes or from the edge.

How is rivet shear strength calculated?

Rivet shear capacity = n × (π/4) × d² × τ_allow, where n is number of rivets, d is rivet diameter, and τ_allow is allowable shear stress of the rivet material (typically 0.6 × tensile strength).

What is bearing failure in a riveted joint?

Bearing failure occurs when the rivet crushes into the plate material. Bearing capacity = n × d × t × σ_bearing, where t is the thinner plate thickness and σ_bearing is the allowable bearing stress (typically 1.5–2.0 × tensile strength).

How do I calculate plate tear-out strength?

Tear-out (net section failure): P_tear = (w - n_row × d) × t × σ_tensile, where w is plate width, n_row is number of rivets in the critical row, d is hole diameter, and t is plate thickness.

What is the efficiency of a riveted joint?

Joint efficiency = minimum(shear capacity, bearing capacity, tear-out capacity) / (plate strength without holes). Typical efficiencies range from 50% to 85% depending on the pattern.

Free Engineering Tool

Rivet Joint Strength Calculator

Calculate rivet joint capacity for shear, bearing, and plate tear-out failure modes. Enter rivet size, number, plate thickness, and material.

ShearBearingTear-out

Results

Joint Capacity (Governing)

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Rivet Shear Capacity

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Bearing Capacity

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Plate Tear-out

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Joint Efficiency

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Rivet Shear

Bearing

Plate Tear-out

The governing (lowest) value determines the joint capacity.

⚠️ Apply safety factors (typically 2–3) to these ultimate capacities for design.

Rivet Joint Strength Calculator — Shear, Bearing, Tear-out

Published by Nikolai Shelkovenko on February 15, 2026 March 5, 2026

Results

Rivet Shear

Bearing

Plate Tear-out