In the next few years, with the growing use of lightweight body panels, closure panels and aluminum materials, self-piercing rivets will also play a greater role in the automotive industry as a heavily used structural joint. It is understood that the Ford F series aluminum pickups began after the self-piercing rivets were used in the small range of Audi, BMW, JGM, JLR and Tesla. Bring this rivet connection technology to the mainstream market.
The combination of self-piercing rivets and mechanical structural adhesives is not only stronger, but also has other advantages. Rivets connect adjacent metal sheets together to ensure that the adhesive is fully accessible during the entire assembly of the vehicle. Experts say that without rivets, the assembly speed of the adhesive bond is completely incompatible with spot welding.
"The self-piercing rivets can connect aluminum to other metals," said Matthias Wissling, developer of fastener development at Stanley Engineering Fasteners (SEF, former Emhart Teknologies). In the next few years, the use of such connectors will Significantly improved worldwide."
Recently, Wissling and several other company executives hosted Automotive Engineering at the company's headquarters in Troy, Michigan, to discuss innovations in self-piercing rivets and other structural connectors.
Since the Audi A8, which was first launched in the aluminum body in the 1990s, self-piercing rivets have been firmly established in the minds of European automakers. In North America, the use of self-piercing rivets has begun to rise as automakers begin to switch to aluminum and other lightweight materials that cannot be joined by conventional welding techniques.
According to Ducker Worldwide's 2015 global lightweight automotive aluminum ratio study, by 2025, the use of aluminum body panels and closures will increase from less than 200 million pounds in 2012 to 4 billion pounds. . Among them, the use of aluminum in the hood will reach 85%, the door part will reach 46%, and the use in the complete body will reach 18%. In comparison, in 2015, the proportion of aluminum bodies used in large quantities was less than 1%. Although spot welding is still the most commonly used steel bodyboard joining process, advanced mechanical fastening technology is becoming an increasingly popular choice. The self-piercing rivet fastening process can be connected to aluminum, steel, plastic, carbon fiber reinforced composite materials and various material combinations, and the entire process does not need to be punched in advance.
Experts point out that the entire fastening process of self-piercing rivets does not require heating. This process can be used to connect various identical or different materials on the body-in-white, such as steel-steel and aluminum-steel connections. Dr. Wissling said, “This is very important. It is important to know that every additional connection technology on the body-in-white will create additional processes and costs.â€
Sivakumar Ramasamy, SEF's vice president of innovation, said that the company can now offer a wide range of joining products, including metal clips, inserts, studs and self-supporting rivets, as well as a variety of fastening assembly systems. Dr. Ramasamy said, "To achieve the company's average fuel economy (CAFE) standard by 2025, automakers need to continue to expand the use of lightweight body-in-white materials, so more types of body-in-white fastening technology and joining products will appear on the market in the future. ."
Ramasamy said, “I hope that the company can come up with more innovative solutions, which can be new products, new processes, new business models, and thus calmly deal with future wireless possibilities.†Ramasay's newly formed team of engineers and marketing experts will be Before 2017, work started in the office near Gerson, Germany. The sole responsibility of this team is innovation.
“Can an auto car use a plastic body? If so, what kind of fastening process should the plastic body-in-white use? The company may introduce a plastic rivet or adhesive that meets the requirements.†Dr. Ramasamy believes that “the innovation team must Track emerging trends and come up with solutions."
For more than 30 years, SEF's core product has been spot welding technology. However, as the body materials have changed, the corresponding fasteners have evolved.
It is no accident that SEF has invested heavily in the innovation team. “We want to grow our business through innovation. We hope to have the ability to connect lightweight materials,†Dr. Ramasam said. “But this is not our only pursuit. After 2025, there may be something new in the industry, we must Be prepared."
Concerned about surprises
Tags: hardware accessories self-piercing rivets to help car lightweight technology
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