Identification of Drilling Parameters during the Flow Drill Screw Driving Process

The automobile manufacturing industry, until recent years, has been using steel for car body components and the main method for joining these components has always been Resistance Spot Welding. However, since the global trends toward CO 2 reduction and resource efficiency have significantly increased, the importance and usage of lightweight materials has enhanced as well. New lightweight materials such as aluminum and magnesium alloys, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, etc., have become a reality, thanks to the new fastening technologies. Flow drill screw driving (FDS) is a one–sided thermomechanical assembly process based on heat generation by frictional force and plastic deformation. A special screw, known as hole forming and self-tapping screw, is used in this process as both fastener and tool. Moreover, rotational and translation movements are applied to the screw to create special friction conditions with the workpiece. Furthermore, unlike traditional drilling and thread milling processes, there is no chip or waste of material in FDS and the machining operations are realized through plastic deformation. This paper explores flow drilling steps and the parameters which influence heating and local softening of the aluminum sheet 5182-0. An experimental study has been carried out by varying process parameters (rotational speed, drilling force), coating and geometry of the screw. As a result, an increase of rotational speed and drilling force allows significant reduction in drilling time and introduce an important variation of the torque installation. In addition, a strong dependence is observed between drilling time and torque on the one hand, and related to the screw parameters geometry and coating on the other hand. Finally, an evaluation of the heating effect on the thread forming operation is also undertaken.