Influence of plate material and thickness configurations on the joinability of rectangular punch-shear clinching

The rectangular punch-shear clinching process has shown substantial promise for effectively joining dissimilar lightweight materials, especially those with poor deformation capabilities, like high-strength steels and composites. However, the influence of different process parameters on the joining performance of the rectangular punch-shear clinching process is not clear. In this paper, the effects of plate material configurations and plate thickness configurations on the joining performance of the rectangular punch-shear clinching process were investigated. Four plate material configurations of Al5182, Al6061, and HC340LA with 2.0 mm thick were used to create rectangular punch-shear clinched joints. The Al5182 plates of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mm thickness were combined into five configurations and joined by the method. The geometric characteristics were studied to evaluate joint formation. The shear and tensile destruction tests were carried out to analyze failure mechanisms and mechanical properties. The results show that the rectangular punch-shear clinched joints demonstrate a larger interlock value and neck thickness value when employing a stronger or thicker top plate. Positioning a stronger or thicker plate on top enhances static mechanical strength. The 2.5–1.5 configuration achieved the highest shear and tensile strengths, at 3490 N and 1118 N, respectively, exceeding the 1.5–2.5 configuration by 104.1% and 120.1%. Among all plate material configurations, the H5 joints have the highest shear and tensile strengths of 3566 N and 1286 N, respectively. This work addresses the issue of joining solutions for plates of various materials and thicknesses.