Self-piercing nut element and component assembly consisting of the nut element and a sheet metal part

A component assembly comprising a self-piercing nut element (10) and a sheet metal part (40) having a thickness, wherein the self-piercing nut element (10) has a strength in the range between 700 and 1250 MPa, and which is designed to be pressed into said sheet metal part (40) having a thickness, the nut element having the following features:

• a head part (14) forming a flange (12), a central bore (16) in the head part having a thread with a nominal diameter which is designed to receive a bolt element and which has a central longitudinal axis (18), a sheet metal contact surface (20) formed in a plane at least substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis at the flange (12), as well as a piercing section (22) extending away from the head part at the side of the sheet metal contact surface in the direction of the longitudinal axis, the nut being adapted for a self-piercing attachment of the nut element to said sheet metal part (40, said sheet metal part having a thickness greater than 3.5 mm, the piercing section (22) having a peripherally extending radial groove (26) in the piercing section, the groove having a boundary spaced from the sheet metal contact surface, and the piercing section (22) further having a free end face and a piercing edge (28) at the free end face, with the piercing edge (28) being spaced from the boundary of the groove (26) by a peripheral surface (34) having an axial height which corresponds to at least 30% of the sheet metal part, wherein the piercing section has a radial wall thickness in a region of its free end face from the outer side of the piercing section up to a nominal diameter of the thread, the radial wall thickness corresponding to a thickness between 1.2 to 1.8 times the thickness of the sheet metal part, and wherein said sheet metal part (40) has a pierced hole having a shape corresponding to the shape of the piercing section (22);
• wherein the material of said sheet metal part (40) at the side (68) of a sheet metal part remote from the sheet metal contact surface (20) has a recess (62) adjacent to the piercing section and surrounding the piercing section (22) and wherein the material of the hole rim is displaced into the groove (26) as a result of the formation of the recess (62).