Effects of Tool Geometry Parameters on Clinched Joint Strength Using FEM

Abstract Clinching joining is one of the predominant techniques used to join aluminium alloys in the automotive industry. Although the technique can be easily automated, cost-effective, and not affect the material’s mechanical properties during the joining process, the tool geometry parameters significantly affect the strength of the clinched joint. Therefore, a precise finite element model is critical to improve the strength and reduce the cliched joint’s production cost. This study investigated the effect of the punch fillet radius, the punch angle, the die diameter and the die depth on the strength of the clinched joint of 5754 aluminium alloys. The clinched joint was produced with different geometry parameters. The cross-section of the clinched joints was observed. In the meantime, the interlocking value, the neck thickness, and tool parameters were measured to investigate the joinability of the aluminium alloys. The static tensile shear tests were also conducted using the universal tensile machine. Numerical studies have been conducted to analyse the influence of the geometrical parameters using a 2D axisymmetric model. As a result, the numerical results agreed with the experimental results. Additionally, the result showed that the tool geometry significantly impacted the strength of the clinched joint of aluminium alloys. The study concluded that the neck thickness and the interlocking value have played a vital role in the enhancement of the cliched joint strength.