Assessment for structural stiffness and fatigue life on self-piercing rivet of car bodies

Abstract

The highest structural stiffness of an SPR joint was exhibited in the specimen constituted with 5J32 and ASPH, and the lowest stiffness in that constituted with the single 5J32 combination. Even though the structural stiffness of an SPR joint specimen is roughly the same with another type of joint, the fatigue life is different according to sheet material and its thickness. The results of numerical analysis are nearly identical to those of experiments. Thus, it can be that FEM modeling in accordance with FEMFAT is effective in assessing the stiffness and fatigue life of SPR joints, and can be an alternative to experimental analysis.