Study on Tension Performance of Clinched Joints in Three Layers
The mechanical behavior of clinched joints in three layers under different configurations and thicknesses of the upper substrate werte studied by experiment. Six groups with different thicknesses of top plate and configurations were tested under tensile conditions. The results show that different specimen configurations have significant effects on the strength and failure mode of clinched joint in three layers. For the tensile-shear test, type C presents the highest strength. The joint strength is influenced by thickness of upper substrate under the same configuration. It displays higher strength with thicker upper substrate especially in type A configuration. Three failure modes occurs after tensile-shear test, fracturing in the neck of the top sheet, interlock failure resulting in pulling the joint out of the bottom sheet and the mixed mode. Different failure modes make different failure displacements. The fracture in the neck of the top sheet can exhibit the smallest failure displacement,while the interlock failure is biggest.