Method and system with acceleration based flow drill screw control

A method of installing a flow drill screw (FDS) into a substrate, the method comprising:

• engaging the FDS with an automatic tool;
• operating the automatic tool at a first setting to drive the FDS into the substrate by causing flow of the substrate to permit the FDS to penetrate the substrate, the first setting being configured to rotate the FDS at a first rotational speed and to apply a first axial feed force on the FDS, the first setting being configured to cause flow of the substrate to permit the FDS to penetrate the substrate;
• determining axial acceleration data;
• and
• switching the automatic tool from the first setting to a second setting in response to a controller analyzing the axial acceleration data and determining whether a predetermined threshold acceleration value of the FDS has been met, wherein the second setting is configured to rotate the FDS at a second rotational speed and to apply a second axial feed force to the FDS, wherein the second rotational speed is less than the first rotational speed.