Patent ID: 8646166

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a component assembly comprising a fastener element ( 10 ) and a sheet metal part ( 25 ), wherein the fastener element ( 10 ) has a flange part ( 12 ) of a larger diameter (D 1 ) and a shaft part ( 14 ) of a smaller diameter (D 2 ) which extends away from the flange part ( 12 ), said shaft part having an end ( 16 ) remote from the flange part ( 12 ) which merges into a cylindrical rivet section ( 18 ), said shaft part having an outer side and said cylindrical rivet section having an outer side which is at least substantially flush with said outer side of the shaft part ( 14 ), i.e. has the same diameter (D 2 ), wherein said flange part ( 12 ) has a side adjacent to the shaft part ( 14 ) which forms a sheet metal contact shoulder ( 22 ), wherein features providing security against rotation ( 24 ) are provided at at least one of the shaft part ( 14 ) and the sheet metal contact shoulder ( 22 ), wherein the fastener element is designed for use with a sheet metal part ( 25 ) having a thickness in the range of 3 mm and larger and the sheet metal part lies in one plane, at least in the region of attachment of the fastener element prior to and after attachment of the fastener element, said sheet metal part ( 25 ) having a thickness which corresponds at least substantially to the total length of the shaft part ( 14 ) and the rivet section ( 18 ) or being thicker, the method comprising the steps of providing the sheet metal part ( 25 ) with a conically diverging hole ( 62 ) which diverges in a direction from the side of the sheet metal part confronting the sheet metal contact shoulder ( 22 ) to a side ( 42 ) remote from the sheet metal contact shoulder ( 22 ), inserting the cylindrical rivet section ( 18 ) into said conically diverging hole and reshaping the cylindrical rivet section to a conically diverging rivet bead ( 44 ) which is wedged in the conically diverging hole ( 62 ).