Double-sided injection lap riveting

• Published in: International journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 125; no. 7-8; pp. 1 - 13
• Main Authors: da Fonseca Matos Pragana, João Pedro, Sampaio, Rui F. V., Chantreuil, Justin, Bragança, Ivo, Silva, Carlos, Martins, Paulo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer 01-04-2023; Springer London; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Advanced manufacturing technologies; Aluminum; Bolted joints; CAE) and Design; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Deformation; Electric currents; Energy distribution; Engineering; Experimentation; Finite element method; Friction; Industrial and Production Engineering; Joining by plastic deformation; Mechanical Engineering; Media Management; Original Article; Plastic deformation; Riveted joints; Riveting; Rivets; Room temperature; Sheets; Finite element method; Joining by plastic deformation; Experimentation; Thermo-electrical resistance; Double-sided injection lap riveting
• ISSN: 0268-3768; 1433-3015
• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-023-10941-0

This article presents a double-sided injection lap riveting process for fixing two overlapped sheets with tubular rivets at room temperature. The rivets are injected by compression into the dovetail ring holes that are previously machined in both sheets, and, in contrast to other joining by plastic deformation processes making use of auxiliary elements, the resulting joints are hidden inside the sheets without material protrusions above or below their surfaces. The new process is applied in the fabrication of aluminum busbar joints for energy distribution systems, and comparisons are made against conventional bolted joints that were fabricated for reference purposes. The work combines experimentation and finite element modelling, and results allow concluding that, in addition to invisibility and savings in assembly space, there are important gains in the thermo-electrical performance of the new joints that are of paramount importance for electric distribution applications.