Development of a Single Impact Riveting Method

Recently, in place of the welding, the new rivets such as the self-piercing rivet are noticed in the auto industry. In this paper, the new impact riveting method (Single Impact Riveting Method) in which an aluminum rivet is struck into aluminum sheets by the impulsive force is proposed. Procedures of the joining are as follows : (1) the axis of the impact rivet is struck into sheets by the impulsive force ; (2) the rivet axis penetrates the sheets and collides with the die ; (3) by collision, the tip of the axis forms the other head of the rivet and the axis also becomes thicker ; (4) the sheets are joined tightly by the plastic deformation of the rivet axis. The proposed method does not need prepared holes in sheets and improve the productive efficiency further than the conventional method. From experimental results, it was clarified that the joint strength by the single impact riveting method is higher than that by caulking, and the sheet warp is smaller than that by caulking.