Effects of geometrical parameters on the strength and energy absorption of the height-reduced joint

In order to reduce the height of the protrusion on the clinched joint, a height-reducing method by compressing the joint was studied in the present work. An investigation of effects of geometrical parameters on the strength and energy absorption of the height-reduced joint was carried out by experimental method. A series of experiments were performed by varying the geometrical parameters of the joints. Different forming displacements were applied to generate different geometrical parameters in the mechanical clinching process. The tensile strength of the height-reduced joint is higher than that of the mechanical clinched joint. The height-reduced joint with a bottom thickness of 1.5 mm has the highest tensile strength. The height-reducing method can contribute to increase the energy absorption of the joint. The strength and energy absorption of the joint depend on the neck thickness in this study. The height-reducing method can increase the tensile strength and energy absorption of the joint by increasing the neck thickness. The height-reducing method with a pair of flat dies is a helpful subsequent process of conventional mechanical clinching.