http://plast.me.tut.ac.jp/present/joining_CIRP.pdf

Joining by plastic deformation

Mechanical and microstructural investigation of friction spot welded AA6181-T4 aluminium alloy

Self-piercing riveting (SPR) is a cold mechanical joining process used to join two or more sheets of materials by driving a rivet piercing through the top sheet or the top and middle sheets and subsequently lock into the bottom sheet under the guidance of a suitable die. SPR is currently the main joining method for aluminium and mixed-material lightweight automotive structures. SPR was originated half century ago, but it only had significant progress in the last 25 years due to the requirement of joining lightweight materials, such as aluminium alloy structures, aluminium-steel structures and other mixed-material structures, from the automotive industry. Compared with other conventional joining methods, SPR has many advantages including no pre-drilled holes required, no fume, no spark and low noise, no surface treatment required, ability to join multi-layer materials and mixed materials and ability to produce joints with high static and fatigue strengths. In this paper, research investigations that have been conducted on self-piercing riveting will be extensively reviewed. The current state and development of SPR process is reviewed and the influence of the key process parameters on joint quality is discussed. The mechanical properties of SPR joints, the corrosion behaviour of SPR joints, the distortion of SPR joints and the simulation of SPR process and joint performance are reviewed. Developing reliable simulation methods for SPR process and joint performance to reduce the need of physical testing has been identified as one of the main challenges.

/pdf/self-piercing-riveting-a-review-2j1byq6md3.pdf

Self-piercing riveting-a review

Joining of high strength steel and aluminium alloy sheets by mechanical clinching with dies for control of metal flow

Self-piercing riveting of high tensile strength steel and aluminium alloy sheets using conventional rivet and die

This work compares three aluminium sheet joining processes to determine their capability, efficiency and cost for mass production applications in automotive structures and closures. The joining processes investigated are Resistance Spot Welding (RSW), SelfPierce Riveting (SPR) and Spot Friction Joining (SFJ). Quantitative comparisons have been made on the basis of tensile strength (shear and peel), process time, equipment price and running cost. RSW is the most commonly employed joining method for steel sheet in the automotive industry. Its principle benefits are high speed and low cost operation, plus the ability to weld a wide range of joint configurations with the same gun. The main process limitations for aluminium are weld consistency and electrode-life, though recent work has shown that both of these can be largely overcome with regular electrode polishing

Comparison of Self-Pierce Riveting, Resistance Spot Welding and Spot Friction Joining for Aluminium Automotive Sheet

A study examining the effect of coatings on the quality and behaviour of self-piercing riveted joints joining aluminium NG5754 to HSLA350 sheets was conducted. Two types of coatings: E-coated and Zinc plated were applied to the HSLA350 sheet for this study. The results showed that coating affected the joint quality in terms of head height, interlock and remaining material thickness. Examination of joint sections indicated that the self-piercing riveting process needed different setting parameters for coated and uncoated sheets in order to achieve optimum setting conditions. The joint strength was also affected by sheet coatings. However, whether the joints with coated sheet had higher strength was dependent on joint setting conditions. Different coatings had different effects on joint quality and behaviour and different setting conditions led to different behaviour of the joints with or without coatings.

Effect of sheet material coatings on quality and strength of self-piercing riveted joints

The Influence of Paint Bake Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Spot Friction Joined Aluminium Alloys

The increased application of lightweight materials, such as aluminium has triggered many investigations into new joining techniques for aluminium alloys. The Resistance Spot Welding concept for aluminium has always attracted many researchers from different organizations. Self-piercing riveting is the major production process used to join aluminium sheet body structures for the automotive industry. Mean while, interest in laser welding and application as a candidate for joining aluminium is also growing. These key technologies for aluminium assembly are therefore being investigated by the research team at the University Of Warwick. The paper reported here looks at the feasibility of each process for joining thin gauge aluminium and compares the mechanical behavior for each joint type. The results suggested that all three joining technologies are feasible for joining aluminum and their mechanical behaviour is strongly dependent on the selection of process parameters

Advanced joining technologies for aluminium assembly for the automotive industry

An evaluation of Non-Destructive-Testing (NDT) technique based on ultrasonic inspection for selfpiercing riveted (SPR) joints was conducted. A riveted joint is inspected by an ultrasonic continuous wave through a differential piezoelectric transducer operated at a predetermined frequency. The joint quality is evaluated by monitoring variations in the electrical impedance of the transducer represented by both the phase and the amplitude displayed in the complex impedance plane. A range of SPR joints were tested using the NDT technique and the NDT results were compared with laboratory sectioning of samples. It was observed that for some of the aluminium joints with two or three layers, the NDT technique could arguably detect sound and bad joints. The work has also shown that for joints involving very thin aluminium sheets and steel panels, the sensitivity of the technique needs to be improved.

R. Hewitt

Papers

Comparison of Self-Pierce Riveting, Resistance Spot Welding and Spot Friction Joining for Aluminium Automotive Sheet

Effect of sheet material coatings on quality and strength of self-piercing riveted joints

The Influence of Paint Bake Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Spot Friction Joined Aluminium Alloys

Advanced joining technologies for aluminium assembly for the automotive industry

An Evaluation of NDT for Self-pierce Riveting