Joining of Lightweight Dissimilar Materials by Friction Self-Piercing Riveting

In this work, we employed a unique solid-state joining process, friction self-piercing riveting (F-SPR), to join carbon fiber composites to the low-ductility magnesium alloy AZ31B. The localized frictional heat generated between the rotating rivet and the underside of the magnesium sheet softened and prevented crack generation in AZ31B. A consumable joining rivet was designed to join the selected material stacks by F-SPR. Lap shear tensile testing was used to assess the joint quality of specimens produced by F-SPR. The joint interface from the cross-sectioned F-SPR specimen was evaluated by optical microscopy.