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Clinching process for aluminum alloy and carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sheets

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Abstract

This research work used a preheated clinching process for joining aluminum alloy 5052-H32 (Al) and carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) sheets. The preheated and softened CFRTP sheets successfully undergo the excessive compression and bending in the process. Al and CFRTP sheets with a thickness of 1.6 mm thick were used to make Al/CFRTP clinch joints in lap-shear (LS) specimens. Effects of joining force, punch design, and die design on mechanical properties of Al/CFRTP clinch joints were investigated by quasi-static tensile tests and metallographic micrographs. An appropriate setup for the Al/CFRTP clinching process was obtained. Then, a complete fatigue test for Al/CFRTP dissimilar clinching joints was conducted to investigate the fatigue properties of Al/CFRTP clinch joints. The fatigue data were recorded, and the failure modes were analyzed and discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors greatly appreciate the financial supports from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under Grant Nos. 104-2221-E-194-033 and 105-2221-E-194-020-MY2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-tech Innovations and Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung-Cheng University, Chia-Yi, 62102, Taiwan

    P.-C. Lin, J.-W. Lin & G.-X. Li

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  1. P.-C. Lin
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  2. J.-W. Lin
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  3. G.-X. Li
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Correspondence to P.-C. Lin.

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Lin, PC., Lin, JW. & Li, GX. Clinching process for aluminum alloy and carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sheets. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 97, 529–541 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-1960-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-1960-7

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