Investigation of Clinched Joints – A Finite Element Simulation of a Non-destructive Approach

Clinching is a cost-effective mechanical joining process used for metallic as well as nonmetallic materials. Destructive testing methods such as peel and tensile tests can be used for strength investigations of such joints. Additionally, by measuring the geometrical properties such as undercut, neck thickness, and final bottom thickness, the joint quality can be estimated. These methods are cumbersome and do not meet the time and cost efficiency requirements of industrial production. The harmonic analysis benefits from changes in vibration characteristics. In this paper, the structural response of a clinched joint, subjected to a dynamic displacement in order to introduce an acoustic wave testing method is studied. This is accomplished by using simulated joining processes. The approach of this paper is based on a transient dynamic finite element analysis, followed by a fast Fourier transform. The results are presented, together with an analysis of sensitivity to different process parameters.