Investigation of clinch joints made of similar and dissimilar materials

Abstract

Clinching is a mechanical cold forming method to join two or more overlapping sheets without using of rivet. This technology is already in use for production of aluminum and steel sheet car body panels. This process is carried out without heat effect on the material structure, thus the clinching is one of the technologies which may replace traditional processes as resistance spot welding or friction stir welding. The clinching technology has been well known for many years, but only during the last decades become more and more widely applied particularly in the automotive industry. This paper presents the results of experimental research work in the field of clinching of different strength sheets developed for automotive application.