Microstructure evolution of AA5052 joint failure process and mechanical performance after reconditioning with tubular rivet

To extend the service life of the clinched joint, a reconditioning process conducted with an additional tubular rivet was proposed in this work. Different reconditioning forces were employed to produce dissimilar reconditioned joints by experimental method. The experimental results indicated that the neck fracture was the common failure mode of both original clinched and reconditioned joints. Compared with the original clinched joint, the shearing strength of the reconditioned joint produced by a reconditioning force of 40 kN increased from 1810.5 to 1986.47 N, and the energy absorption increased from 2.34 to 3.46 J. The range of effective reconditioning force was from 35 to 40 kN and 40 kN was the best choice for reconditioning the AA5052 failed joints. The mechanical properties of the reconditioned joints are obviously better than those of the original clinched joints, which fully demonstrates that the reconditioning method proposed in this work has a broad prospect of industrial application. © 2021 The Nonferrous Metals Society of China