Clinch-bonded hybrid joining for similar and dissimilar copper alloy, aluminium alloy and galvanised steel sheets

Clinch-bonded hybrid joining technology has been applied increasingly in different manufacturing disciplines. In this study, specimens of both similar and dissimilar sheets of H62 copper alloy, aluminium alloy and galvanised steel sheets were prepared in single-lap and T-joints. Tensile-shear tests and peeling tests were carried out for studying the load-bearing capacity and energy absorption of different clinch-bonded hybrid joints. The failure fractures were studied by a scanning electron microscope to characterise the different failure modes. Results show that the shear strength of the specimens, which results mainly from the adhesive, is better than their peeling strength, which is closely related to clinched structures. The mixed neck fracture exhibited the highest shear strength, and a better ability to absorb energy could be obtained by decreasing the material strength of the lower sheets in the tensile-shear test. In the peeling test, it was found that the best energy absorption ability could be achieved by the failure mode of upper sheet tearing, and improving the strength of the lower sheets resulted in greater joint peeling strength.