Patent ID: 7681296

Claim:
A method of forming a pressed joint connection of components which include at least one plate, comprising: interposing said components between an end of a punch and a die opening of a die leading into a die chamber; advancing said punch along an advancement axis through the die opening of the die chamber to draw said components into said die opening, said chamber being bounded by circumferentially spaced elastically yielding movable wall segments which are movable in a radial direction of said advancement axis against radially inward biasing and fixed wall segments circumferentially disposed between said movable wall segments which are secured against movement in said radial direction, and by a base arranged crosswise to said advancement axis and opposite to said opening; and causing material of the components drawn into said opening to flow radially outward by axial compression thereof against said base of the die chamber created by continued advancing of the punch thereby radially displacing said elastically yielding wall segments against said inward biasing and being stopped by said fixed wall segments circumferentially therebetween, said base being configured to extend radially outward of said advancement axis to at least a position corresponding to a maximum distance of radial displacement of the movable wall segments caused by material flow acting against the radially inward biasing, such that the material being drawn by said advancing and said continued advancing is fully supported by the base over an entirely of said radial displacement of the joined material in a region located radially inward of each of the movable wall segments.