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Clinching technology has been widely applied in automobile assembly industries to join sheet materials of different thicknesses and properties. It does not require any auxiliary parts and only depends on the plastic deformation of materials themselves to form a joint. Furthermore, clinching tools that include the punch and the die are simpler than other thermal joining methods. However, the usability of the clinched joint is restricted by a low joining strength. In order to expand the application range of clinching technologies, researchers have conducted extensive researches on how to improve clinching technologies. In this article, the latest advances of clinching technologies are reviewed on the development of clinching tools and processes. The improved clinching processes including flat clinching, hole clinching, reshaping the clinched joint without a rivet, reshaped joint with a rivet, rivet clinching, rectangular clinching, dieless clinching, roller clinching, laser shock clinching, hydro-clinching, injection clinching, adhesive clinching, resistance spot clinching, friction-assisted clinching, and laser-assisted clinching are introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of different clinching technologies are proposed. In addition, some suggestions for the future development of clinching technology are given in this paper. The clinching technology is developing towards a hybrid joining technology with high strength, high stability, and high efficiency.

Latest developments in the clinching of sheet materials are reviewed in this article. Important issues are discussed, such as tool design, process parameters and joinability of some new lightweight sheet materials. Hybrid and modified clinching processes are introduced to a general reader. Several unaddressed issues in the clinching of sheet materials are identified.

The current study is conducted to analyze the influence of thickness configurations on the mechanical properties of the flat-clinching joint. Al1060-H12 sheets with four-type thickness configurations were employed in flat-clinching process. Pull-out and single-lap shear tests were implemented to obtain the static strengths and absorbed energies of the clinching joints. Their main geometrical parameters and failure modes were also discussed and studied. The clinching joint with a thick top sheet achieves smaller undercut and greater neck thickness than the joint using a thick bottom sheet. Compared with the clinching joint using a thick bottom sheet, the joint with a thick top sheet has larger absorbed energy and static strength in single-lap shear tests. In pull-out tests, absorbed energy and static strength of the joint using a thick bottom sheet are larger than the joint with a thick top sheet. Flat-clinching process can reliably join Al1060-H12 sheets with different thickness configurations.

In the publication, the results of an experimental analysis of joint formation by pressing of DX51D steel sheets with thickness of 1.5 (mm) with the use of a rigid punch and an additional deformable rivet of various shapes were presented. The influence of the use of a steel rivet with a diameter d  = 5 (mm), similar to the dimensions of the forming punch in the case of the classic clinching variety on the interlock parameters was investigated. The used die was with a four movable segments—dedicated to connections made in the clinch-riveting technology by TOX ® PRESSOTECHNIK. In additional, experimental tests were made for joining sheets with a rivet of various shapes, i.e. with a through hole. Joints were formed and the correctness of the upper blockage in the lower sheet was observed on the joints cross-sections. The interlock parameters were measured for each joints samples. In order to compare the influence of using an additional rivet on interlock parameters and joints strength the traditional clinching joints were also made. The minimal thickness of the traditional clinching joint embossment for 2 sheets of 1.5 (mm) thickness for each was X  = 0.75 (mm).

Aluminum alloy sheets have been widely used to build the thin-walled structures by mechanical clinching technology in recent years. However, there is an exterior protrusion located on the lower sheet and a pit on the upper sheet, which may restrict the application of the clinching technology in visible areas. In the present study, an improved clinched joint used to join aluminum alloy sheets was investigated by experimental method. The improved clinching process used for joining aluminum alloy evolves through four phases: (a) localized deformation; (b) drawing; (c) backward extrusion; and (d) mechanical interlock forming. A flat surface can be produced using the improved clinching process. Shearing strength, tensile strength, material flow, main geometrical parameters, and failure mode of the improved clinched joint were investigated. The sheet material was compressed to flow radially and upward using a punch, which generated a mechanical interlock by producing severe localized plastic deformation. The neck thickness and interlock of the improved clinched joint were increased by increasing the forming force, which also contributed to increase the strength of the clinched joint. The improved clinched joint can get high shearing strength and tensile strength. Three main failure modes were observed in the failure process, which were neck fracture mode, button separation mode, and mixed failure mode. The improved clinched joint has better joining quality to join aluminum alloy sheets on the thin-walled structures.

Roller clinching combines the advantages of translational clinching with a continuous feed of the parts to be joined. Challenging tasks are the non-perpendicular impact and retraction of the tools leading to anisotropic joint properties. These effects are strongly influenced by scaling the setup. Reducing the size of roller clinching machines increases the impact angle of the tools on the sheets. This paper focuses on the kinematic description of the tool movement as well as the joint formation depending on different setup sizes. Process limits for different setups are investigated.

Effects of processing parameters on preheated (heat-assisted) clinching process to join aluminum alloy 5052-H32 (AA5052) and thermoplastic carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (TP-CFRP) sheets for cross-tension (CT) specimens were first studied. Preheating was critical since brittle TP-CFRP could be softened to avoid fracturing or cracking during clinching process. Four processing parameters, including punching force, die depth, heating mode, and heating temperature, were considered. Quasi-static tests and microscope observations were taken to evaluate AA5052/TP-CFRP clinch joints in CT specimens and determine appropriate processing parameters for fatigue tests. Finally, fatigue data and failure mode of clinch joints in CT specimens were obtained and discussed.

Clinching technology can join thin sheets of various materials, including aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, steel, titanium alloy, and polymers. Nowadays, with the popularization of the lightweight concept and the application of various sheet materials in manufacturing, clinching technology has highlighted the advantages of being able to adapt to the joining of different sheet materials. With its unique advantages, clinching technology gains wide development space in the field of metal sheet connection. The application of clinching technology in various sheet materials is summarized and analyzed. The clinching process of special materials is also discussed. In addition, some unaddressed issues in the clinching process of special materials are identified in this paper.

Mechanical clinching technology, with the ability to join dissimilar, coated, and hard-to-weld materials, has been widely adopted in the automotive field. The finite element method has been proved to be an efficient and effective approach for investigating the clinching process. This paper comprehensively overviewed the recent advances in the application of finite element methods on the clinching process. The modeling methodologies of clinching process, such as material modeling, meshing operation, and contact definition, were summarized and discussed. The advances regarding finite element method used in various types of clinching processes were also reviewed respectively. Subsequently, the finite element methods used to conduct parameter study and strength prediction in the clinching process were introduced and reviewed. Finally, some outlooks about FEM used in the clinching process were proposed and discussed.

One thin 5000 series aluminium alloy sheet and two thin 980 MPa grade cold rolled ultra-high strength steel sheets were joined by self-pierce riveting and mechanical clinching processes. The joinabilities for a combination of the aluminium and steel sheets in both processes were investigated for different die shapes in the experiment and finite element simulation. In self-pierce riveting, the three sheets were successfully joined for both combinations of the upper and lower aluminium alloy sheets by optimizing the shapes of a die and rivet. In mechanical clinching, the three sheets were successfully joined by an optimum die for the configuration of the upper aluminium alloy sheet. On the other hand, the three sheets for the configuration of the lower aluminium alloy sheet were not joined even by optimizing the die shape in the both finite element simulation and experiment, because the material flow of the steel sheets was insufficient to form the two interlocks. The tension-shear loads for the clinched and riveted sheets with the adhesive were almost the same, because the load for the adhesive was the highest. In the cross-tension test, however, the load by the adhesive was comparatively small.