Method of fastening a rivet element and corresponding fastening system therefor

A method of fastening a rivet element (10) to a workpiece (12) which has a preshaped hole (26) provided for a reception of a rivet section (32) of the rivet element (10) and which is made planar at least in a region around the preshaped hole (26),

• wherein, prior to the fastening process, the workpiece (12) is positioned at a well-defined spacing (D) from a contact surface (18) of a die (14) by means of at least one movably and/or elastically configured spacer (16) of the die (14) for a reshaping of the rivet section (32), so that a gap (30) is formed between a wall (28) of the hole (26) and a punch (24) of the die (14), which is provided for the reshaping of the rivet section (32), the workpiece (12) only being moved toward the contact surface (18) after the start of the reshaping of the rivet section (32), and wherein the rivet section (32) is introduced into the gap (30) in a course of the fastening process and is reshaped by the punch (24) in order to engage behind the workpiece (12) in the region of the hole (26), wherein the spacer (16) is moved from a first position into a second position during the fastening process, the spacer (16) being substantially fully displaced into an inner region of the die (14) in the second position.