Abstract
Clinching is a mechanical joint for fastening sheet metal components. With its increasing applications to the automobile manufacture and construction, joint strength has become an important subject in guaranteeing structural strength and structural integrity. In this study, tensile test is carried out on clinched joints of an A6063-T5 aluminum alloy sheet to investigate their tensile-shear strength. The thickness range of the sheet examined is 1.5mm-3.8mm. The tensile-shear stress of clinched joint A, for which the shearing surface of the joint is perpendicular to the tensile-shear load, is also equal to the shearing stress of the base metal. The tensile-shear stress of clinched joint B, for which the shearing surface of the joint is parallel to the tensile-shear load, is about 0.4 times of the ultimate tensile strength of the base metal. It is found that the tensile-shear strength of the clinched joint is proportional to the thickness of the sheet. Empirical equations of tensile-shear strength for two types of clinched joint are established.
