1. State Key Laboratory of High-Performance Complex Manufacturing, Light Alloy Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China; School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China 2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
The flat clinching process is attracting a growing attention in the joining field of lightweight materials because it avoids the geometric protrusion that appears in the conventional clinching process. In this paper, the effects of sheet thickness and material on the mechanical properties of the clinched joint were studied. Al1060 and Al2024 sheets with 2 mm thickness were employed to develop the clinched joint by using different material configurations, and Al1060 sheets with 2.5- and 1.5-mm thicknesses were used to produce the clinched joint by using different thickness configurations. The clinched joints using various sheet configurations were sectioned, and dimensional analysis was conducted. Cross-tensile and shearing tests were carried out to analyze the mechanical properties of the clinched joint, including tensile strength, shearing strength, and absorbed energy. In addition, the failure modes of the clinched joints were discussed. Results indicated that the clinched joint with a stiff top sheet had increased static strength regardless of the test type. The clinched joint with a thick top sheet demonstrated lower static strength than the joint with a thick bottom sheet in the cross-tensile test. However, this result was reversed in the shearing tests. The flat clinching process has a great potential in joining dissimilar and various thickness materials.
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