In this study, the self-piercing rivet (SPR) joining of vibration-damping steel and aluminum alloy (Al5052-H32) is successfully carried out, for the first time to our knowledge, and the effects of die type and joint configuration on the mechanical performance, failure mode, and geometrical characteristics of the new joint are investigated. The vibration-damping steel and Al5052-H32 SPR joint exhibits the largest tensile–shear load when a flat die is used. An increase in the die taper angle and diameter decreases the mechanical performance of the joint due to the increase in volume of the die, leading to a smaller interlock width of the joint. The joint configuration with Al5052-H32 as a top sheet has superior mechanical performance compared with the reverse configuration, owing to the increase of the interlock width. All SPR joints of vibration-damping steel and Al5052-H32 show consistent rivet pull-out failure, regardless of the joint configuration, because of relatively small interlock width. It is also found that these SPR joints show better mechanical performance than those of SPFC590DP (a skin material of the vibration-damping steel) and Al5052-H32 under the Al5052-H32–top configuration.

Dissimilar joining of aluminum and steel is one of the fundamental techniques for achieving weight reduction in the automotive industry. Self-piercing rivets have been widely adopted for the aluminum-steel lap joint because of its simplicity and high joining strength. In this study, the joining quality of the aluminum-steel joint produced by self-piercing rivets is investigated depending on the strength and thickness of the aluminum sheet. Four different tensile strengths (228, 305, 320, and 326 MPa) of aluminum are considered in this study, which corresponds to Al5052-H32, Al5754-H18, Al5083-H32 and Al6061-T6. For the thickness variation test, Al5052-H32 sheets with a thickness of 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm are used. The SPR joint quality was quantified with cross-sectional visual analysis and tensile lap shear test. In aluminum(top)-steel (bottom) SPR joint, it was observed that the joint load increased with increasing aluminum strength up to 320 MPa. Nevertheless, the thickness of top aluminum was found to not affect the joint strength between the thickness of 1.5 ~ 2.5 mm. In steel(top)-aluminum(bottom) SPR joint, it was found that joint strength did not change with aluminum strength but increased with increasing aluminum thickness.

This study investigates the quality of self-piercing riveted joints between vibration-damping aluminum (Al) and other dissimilar materials, namely aluminum alloy (AL5052-H32), steel alloy (GA590DP), and carbon-reinforced plastic (CFRP). The effects of die types (flat, cone, and nipple) on the geometrical characteristics and mechanical performance of the joints are studied using a cross-section examination and tensile shear load testing. The failure modes of each joint are also presented, showing the nature of the forces leading to the joint failures. The results indicate that, for all configurations, adequate joining between vibration-damping Al with AL5052-H32 is expected with a maximum shear load up to 3.28 kN. A shear load up to 3.6 kN was measured for the joints with GA590DP panels with acceptable top and bottom seal characteristics. A vibration-damping Al panel can only be positioned at the bottom when riveting with CFRP due to the brittle nature of CFRP. A tensile shear load up to 2.26 kN was found, which is the lowest amongst the materials tested in this study.