Improvement of Joinability in Mechanical Clinching of Ultra-High Strength Steel Sheets Using Counter Pressure

Abstract

A mechanical clinching using counter pressure of a rubber disk was developed to join the ultra-high strength steel sheets having low ductility. In the proposed process, the interlock was increased by the increment of metal flow with the counter pressure of rubber disk in the die cavity. The two kind of ultra-high strength steel sheets having different ductility were used in the mechanical clinching. The effect of the shape of rubber disk on the deforming behaviour of the sheets was investigated. The joinability was improved under the appropriate shape of rubber disk for both sheets, and then the sheets having 56% of reduction area were successfully joined whereas the sheets were not joined without the counter pressure. Although the joinability of the sheets having 43% of reduction area was improved, the cracks occurred in the upper sheet around the punch sidewall. The maximum static load and the fatigue limit of the joined sheets were measured in the tension-shearing and cross-tension tests. It was effective for the improvement of joinability in the mechanical clinching of ultra-high strength steel sheets to use the counter pressure of the rubber disk.