Assembly dimensional prediction for self-piercing riveted aluminum panels

Self-piercing riveting (SPR) is a high-speed mechanical fastening technique for joining sheet components. It has drawn more attention in recent years because it can join some advanced materials that are dissimilar, coated and hard to weld, such as aluminum sheets. Research results have shown that SPR improves joint properties in aluminum and steels. However, there has been concern that there might be dimensional issues due to relatively large material flows at SPR joint configurations. This paper presents the latest research progress in the assembly dimensional prediction area, using experimental data and finite element analysis results. It is found that the joint distortion of SPR as tested is much larger than that from resistance spot welding (RSW), and the inclusion of SPR joint distortion is generally needed for accurate global assembly predictions. To include the local SPR effect, a new algorithm to represent the SPR distortion has been developed. The new algorithm can be incorporated into special finite element analysis codes such as EAVS (elastic assembly variation simulation) to efficiently predict body assembly dimensions where spot joining processes are involved.