Investigation of the clinching process with rectangle punch

Clinching technology is widely used in the connection of lightweight materials. However, the conventional clinching with a round punch performs poorly in connecting thick sheets and hard sheets. In the present study, the clinching process with rectangle punch is investigated by the experimental method. The clinching process with rectangle punch can join the sheets by cutting sheets and generating an interlock. Al5052 sheets were joined using the rectangle punch with different forming forces. The forming process, shear strength, tensile strength, and failure mode were analyzed. The result shows that the shear strength is higher than the tensile strength of the joint generated with the same forming force. The forming force of 25 kN is proved to be the best forming force to join the Al5052 sheet with a thickness of 1.8 mm. The average tensile strength and shear strength of the joint are 1052 N and 1585 N respectively. •Clinching process with rectangle punch is suitable for joining Al5052 sheets.•Deformation and fracture of the material were observed during the forming process.•Separation mode and fracture mode are two main failure modes of the clinched joints.•Forming force has an important effect on the mechanical properties of the joint.