Behavior and large-scale modeling of multi-sheet aluminum connections with self-piercing rivets

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study on the mechanical quasi-static behavior of self-piercing rivet (SPR) connections with three stacked sheets made from an AA6016-T4 aluminum alloy. The goal was to study the effects of sheet thickness and stack up of the SPR connection under large deformation and failure. Several different types of tests were performed to investigate the initial load-bearing capacity as well as the remaining capacity after partial joint failure. Additionally, the performance of state-of-the-art constraint modeling techniques was evaluated. The parameters for large-scale connector models were found through inverse modeling of the experiments. The models were validated against an additional test configuration where the middle sheet was load-free.