https://popups.uliege.be/esaform21/index.php?id=4299 Index terms fr 0 https://popups.uliege.be/esaform21/index.php?id=4298 In many branches of production, components using large number of joints are combined together to make complex structures. The use of mechanical joining techniques offers the possibility to join structures with a wide range of material/geometry configurations. Due to changing in material properties during the production of formed parts, the robustness of the joint must be guaranteed. In this regard, a numerical method has been developed to predict the geometrical properties of the joint as a function of pre-straining of the metal sheets. In this way, the material combination and the joining tools are to be considered. The resulting metamodels were used to estimate the robustness of the joining process. In this study, the method is extended by a numerical load capacity model, which is generated from the joining process model using an automatic algorithm. The simulation model used for predicting the load capacity is validated by experiments. It is shown that the resulting automatic method is able to completely map a process chain and to predict the load capacity of the mechanical joints under consideration of the pre-strain. Furthermore, the correlation between the pre-strain and the load capacity is presented. Thu, 01 Apr 2021 17:54:38 +0200 Mon, 12 Apr 2021 11:38:39 +0200 https://popups.uliege.be/esaform21/index.php?id=4298