With the widespread application of composite materials in aircraft structures, reliable joining technologies have become a critical issue in structural assembly. Among various joining methods, riveting has emerged as an important adopted technique for composite structures due to its high durability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. However, owing to the anisotropic, heterogeneous, and damage-sensitive nature of composite materials, the riveting process and the mechanical behavior of riveted joints are far more complex than those of conventional metallic structures. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress in composite material riveting. First, the characteristics of composite materials and the commonly used joining methods are introduced, and the advantages and applicability of riveting in composite joining are clarified through comparative analysis. Subsequently, typical engineering applications of riveting are presented, and common riveted structural configurations are summarized. In addition, six basic riveting methods are reviewed. The typical damage forms in composite riveting are classified, while existing modeling approaches for rivet damage are systematically summarized and compared. For different types of riveting damage, corresponding suppression and optimization strategies are further reviewed in order to improve joint quality and in-service performance. Finally, future development trends in the field of composite riveting are discussed, with particular emphasis on automated manufacturing, highly reliable joining, and novel riveting technologies.
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