Innovative Mischbauweisen mit dünnwandigen Aluminiumdruckguss-Strukturen mittels Bolzensetzen und fließlochformenden Schrauben

Aluminum casting components are becoming increasingly popular due to their specific weight, high stiffness, and individual geometries. A prerequisite for the use of these cast components in mixed structures with aluminum or steel sheets is the application of a suitable joining technique. Due to the design individuality of these components, there is often only a one-sided access to the joint area. Joining methods which allow one-sided joining of casted aluminum components are, for example, flow-drilling screwing or tack-setting. For these methods, the local joint stiffness is of decisive importance. However, for cast components, local joint stiffness can be very variable. For example, hollow areas present low stiffness, while joint areas between ribs often show increased values. Reduced joint stiffness complicate the joining process and lead to component deformation, gaps between the joining partners, and in hybrid joining, to a poorer adhesive bond. This is due to the joining forces introduced statically or abruptly during the joining process. To solve the described problem, a holistic approach to the component and joining areas design is pursued. This will allow, in an early stage of designing and production planning, to select the according joining processes for components with one-sided accessibility, and therefore, improve manufacturing planning. The project results can be used in the design of cast components in order to optimize them for one-sided joining processes. The sample component to be developed can be used by SMEs and OEMs in the early stages of product development to sample component stiffness and to investigate the influence of production related disturbances.

Project partner: Universität Paderborn, Laboratorium für Werkstoff- und Fügetechnik (LWF)