Dimensional Variation in Self-Piercing Riveting

Self Piercing Riveting (SPR) is widely used in the assembly of steel frame buildings and aluminium vehicle bodies. This paper investigates the dimensional variation resulting from the SPR process which until now has received little attention. The distortion of sheet metal in the normal and in-plane directions during joining are investigated separately. Firstly, the effects of the main SPR joining parameters: sheet thickness, joining sequence, riveting pitch and sheet rolling direction on the distortion in the normal or out of plane direction are presented for simple lap joints. Secondly, the distortion in the in-plane direction was investigated using simple flat, strip panels. It has been found that the dimensional variation in aluminium SPR joining can be significant and the major factors affecting the level of distortion are identified.