Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Repairing
Patent
1995-12-04
1998-03-03
Bryant, David P.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Repairing
2940208, 2952506, 29254, B23P 600
Patent
active
057221448
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
The invention relates to a device and a process for connecting stacked vehicle body elements of a light alloy, which elements are to be connected by means of riveting.
Combined joint connections are currently gaining in importance. The combinations represented by cementing and punch riveting, cementing and interlayer jointing, and cementing and conventional riveting are being used with increasing frequency for lightweight structures (cf Conference on Low-Heat Jointing Techniques--Cementing, Interlayer Jointing, Riveting, May 5-6, 1993, pages 18-19, published by the Friends of the Laboratory for Jointing Techniques of the University--GH--Paderborn e.V.). However, the conventional riveting process presents the disadvantage that a number of operations are required to produce a riveted connection. In a first operation the light alloy elements to be connected must be positioned suitably one on the other, and in a second operation a hole must be drilled through the two light alloy elements. In a third operation the holes drilled are countersunk on one side so that smooth surfaces are obtained at the junction points. Lastly, the two light alloy elements are riveted together in a fourth operation.
A transition has accordingly been made to replacement of conventional riveting processes by punch riveting processes. It is necessary in repair of body damage in particular to replace existing conventional riveting processes with a simpler and more cost-effective process.
If a vehicle with a light alloy body has suffered body damage and elements must be replaced, it is necessary to replace the stamped rivets. A grinding machine could be used to grind off the ends of the stamped rivets, and the stamped rivets could then be knocked out. Another theoretical possibility is that of drilling out the stamped rivets. Processes such as this customary in separation of steel plates held together by riveting cannot be applied for light alloy bodies, inasmuch as grinding or drilling of stamped rivets generates steel chips which result in contact corrosion.
It is the goal of the invention to develop a process and a device which simplify and ensure replacement of damaged body elements fastened to other body elements by stamped rivets and simultaneously to ensure that the danger of contact corrosion by steel chips is not present.
The process claimed for the invention presents the advantage over prior-art processes that perforation of the light alloy elements, countersinking the upper edge of the hole, and forcing the bottom edge of the hole of the top element into the other element to be connected are executed in a single operation.
The process of the present invention permits execution of repair. By application of the process of the present invention two light alloy elements connected by means of stamped rivets can be separated from each other in a simple manner and then connected again.
In the repair process the stamped rivet is forced from the undamaged body element with no chip forming deformation, so that no steel chips resulting in the contact corrosion in question can be generated. After the shape of the stamped areas produced by the stamped rivets has been restored and a new element corresponding to the element to be replaced has been matched, a hole is punched and at the same time a dimple is produced for the rivet head of the rivet jointing carried out in the next process step by means of a solid light alloy rivet, all in one operation, preferably in places at which there was a stamped rivet in the other element. The edge of the hole in the new element is simultaneously forced into the other element by this pressing operation. Consequently, a damaged body element may be removed and replaced by a new element in a few process steps, the generation of steel chips being definitely prevented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows in cross section a stamped rivet connection of two light alloy sheets,
FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3-6 the individual process steps from removal of the stamped rivet to connecting of a new demen
REFERENCES:
patent: 4365401 (1982-12-01), Ogren
patent: 4635437 (1987-01-01), Parton
patent: 4918798 (1990-04-01), Reed
patent: 4949446 (1990-08-01), Kuwica
patent: 5042129 (1991-08-01), Seccombe
patent: 5140736 (1992-08-01), Hsiao
Audi AG
Bryant David P.
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