Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on Self-piercing Riveting of DC03/6016 Dissimilar Sheets

The self-piercing riveting process of 6016 aluminum alloy with 1 mm thickness and DC03 structural steel with 1.5 mm thickness was studied, the process of self-piercing riveting of dissimilar materials between 6016 aluminum alloy and DC03 steel plate is simulated based on DEFORM-2D, and the riveting experiments of plates at different placement sequence are carried out by using flat bottom die. The results show that when 6016 aluminum alloy sheet is placed in the upper layer, the forming quality of self-piercing riveting is better. The experimental values of undercut, head height and residual thickness are 0.585 mm, 0.069 mm and 0.212 mm respectively. The relative errors between experimental values and simulation values are 3.62%, 7.81% and 2.42% respectively, and the correctness of the finite element simulation is verified. In addition, the relationship between undercut and die parameters of self-piercing riveting for steel-aluminum dissimilar materials is analyzed, and it is found that undercut increases with the increase of die width, while it decreases with the increase of die depth.