Study on failure mechanism of mechanical clinching in aluminium sheet materials

Mechanical clinching is a connection technology that is widely used in different industrial fields because it has several advantages, including easy preparation, an excellent fatigue property and environmental friendliness. In this study, tensile-shear tests and fatigue tests were conducted to characterize the mechanical properties of clinched joints using aluminium alloys. The experimental results showed that the fracture regions were concentrated in the indentations of the lower sheets. The failed surfaces were examined using a scanning electron microscope and an energy-dispersive X-ray machine to study the fretting fatigue failure mechanisms of the clinched joints. Two types of fretting wear modes were observed: the neck fretting wear mode and indentation-surrounding fretting wear mode. The results also showed that the proportions of these two fretting wear modes could be impacted by the applied load levels.