Joining Partners Research Articles

Oxygen-Free Compound Casting of Aluminum and Copper in a Silane-Doped Inert Gas Atmosphere: A New Approach to Increase Thermal Conductivity

Novel aluminum-copper compound castings devoid of oxide layers at the interface between the joining partners were developed in order to increase the thermal conductivity of the hybrid component. Due to the natural oxide layers of both aluminum and copper, metallurgical bonds between such bi-metal castings cannot be easily achieved in conventional processes. However, in an atmosphere comparable to extreme high vacuum created by using silane-doped inert gas, metallurgical bonds between the active surfaces of both aluminum and copper can be realized without additional coatings or fluxes. An intermetallic was created between aluminum and copper. Thus, very high thermal conductivities could be obtained for these hybrid castings, exceeding those of conventionally joined samples considerably. The intermetallic phase seams emerging between the joining partners were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The reduction of casting temperatures resulted in narrower intermetallic phase seams and these in turn in a much lower contact resistance between the two joining partners. This effect can be utilized for increasing the heat transfer capabilities of compound casting components employed for cooling heat sources such as high-power light-emitting diodes.

Multiscale modeling of the mechanical behavior of brazed Ni-based superalloy sheet metals

The elastic–plastic behavior of brazed Ni-based superalloys used in abradable turbomachinery sealing systems is analyzed by means of numerical simulations. A sequential multiscale modeling approach is employed to analyze the relevant effects on the mechanical behavior of a layered composite consisting of the braze metal and the joining partners. The focus of the investigations lies on the role of the multiphase microstructure within the brazing layer and the significance of microscopic parameters such as, for example, the volume fraction of the phases compared to macroscopic parameters (e.g., the brazing layer thickness). A representative volume element is employed on the microscale, and a layered composite is modeled on the macroscale to capture all relevant effects on both length scales during mechanical loading of the layered material composite. Virtual tensile tests at different temperatures and strain rates are chosen as a controlled testing environment that captures the characteristic loading conditions during a rubbing event in a turbomachinery. The parameter on the microscale with the highest influence on the mechanical behavior is the volume ratio of the brittle and ductile phases. It also has a significant effect on the macroscopic mechanical behavior. To reduce the risk of damage, it is advised to minimize the fraction of brittle phases in the brazing layer. According to the simulation results, this can be even more effective than reducing the overall thickness of the brazing layer. Additionally, an improvement of an existing analytical model for the estimation of the flow stress in the ductile phase of a dual-phase microstructure is proposed. By increasing the order of the root function in the analytic model, the effect of stress distribution between brittle and ductile phases can be incorporated in an empirical manner. This reduces the deviation between the analytical and the numerical approaches significantly.

Electromagnetic joining of aluminum and polycarbonate tubes

Lightweight constructions made of different materials are becoming increasingly important and joining of metal-plastic hybrids is a major challenge in this context. This paper investigates experimentally the electromagnetic joining of tubes made of aluminum alloy 6082 and thermoplastic polycarbonate. Therefore, electromagnetic joining tests, combined with destructive push-out tests and non-destructive computer tomography scans were conducted. The investigations showed a fundamental dependence of the joint strength on the diameter ratio of the inner joining partner. By increasing the ratio of inner to outer diameter, the transferable push-out force was increased by factor fifteen. Furthermore, for lower ratios, macroscopic cracks were detected that limited the transferable forces.

Approach to Determine the Characteristic Dimensions of Clinched Joints by Industrial X-ray Computed Tomography

Destructive micrograph analysis (MA) is the standard method for the assessment of clinched joints. However, during the joint preparation for the MA, geometric features of the joint can change due to elastic effects and closing cracks. X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a promising alternative to investigate the joint non-estructively. However, if the material properties of similar joining partners are the same, the CT is not able to correctly resolve surfaces in the joint that are close to or pressing onto each other. These surfaces are relevant for the determination of characteristic dimensions such as neck thickness and undercut. By placing a thin, highly radiopaque tin layer between the joining partners, the interfacial area in the reconstructed volume can be highlighted. In this work, a method for the localisation of the tin layer inside the joint as well as threshold value procedures for the outer joint contour in cross section images are investigated. The measured characteristic dimensions are compared with measured values from MA of the same samples and of samples without tin layer. In addition, possible effects of the tin layer on the joining point characteristics as well as problems of the MA are discussed.

New approach for multi-material design: Combination of laser beam and electromagnetic melt pool displacement by induced Lorentz forces

Multimaterial structures are a promising solution to reduce vehicle weight and save fuel or electric energy in automotive design. However, thermal joining of steel and aluminum alloys is a challenge to overcome due to different material properties and the formation of brittle intermetallic phases. In this study, a new joining approach for producing overlap line-shaped joints is presented. The lower joining partner (EN AW 5754) is melted by a laser beam, and this melt is displaced into a line-shaped cavity of the upper joining partner (1.0330) by induced Lorentz forces. The melt solidifies in the cavity to a material and form-fitting joint. This approach needs no auxiliary joining elements or filler materials. Previous investigation to produce spot-shaped joints by using this approach showed that quality and reproducibility were limited by known melt pool dynamics of aluminum alloys (keyhole collapses). For line-shaped joints, the melt displacement can take place behind the keyhole. This allows the displacement process to be spatially uncoupled from the influence of keyhole collapses. The study shows that this improved the process stability and the quality of the joint. The created line-shaped joints were microstructurally characterized by transversal sections. Intermetallic phases were identified by electron backscatter diffraction and EDX analysis. The detected intermetallic phases consist of a 5–6 μm compact phase seam of Al5.6Fe2 and a needle-shaped phase of Al13Fe4. Tensile shear tests were carried out to quantify the load capacity. It was possible to create a joint with a load capacity of about 2 kN.

Shear-clinching of the high-strength aluminum alloy AA7075 with laser-assisted retrogression

Due to their extraordinarily high specific strength, aluminum alloys of the 7000 series are coming into focus of car manufacturers. In an aged state, the limited formability of the alloys poses a challenge for joining by forming processes, which are of particular importance for the realization of multi-material lightweight structures. The innovative shear-clinching technology has proven to be suitable for joining die-sided high-strength steels and punch-sided aluminum alloys. Yet, the process is limited by the formability of the upper joining partner. Due to the high strength of AA7075 in the artificially aged T6 temper, the material flow is obstructed during the joining sequence and failure occurs. The formability of the hardenable alloy can be enhanced by the performance of short-term heat treatment prior to joining. For this purpose, a laser is a suitable heat source, allowing the effective heating of small areas. Within this study, the influence of the temperature during the heat treatment with a diode laser on the material properties of AA7075 is investigated by uniaxial tensile tests and metallographic analyses. Moreover, the joinability of the alloy as well as the resulting joint formation and strength in dependence on the process control during the heat treatment are analyzed. Softening of the alloy enhances with increasing heat treatment temperatures. However, in comparison to the T6 temper, the ductility does not increase. For temperatures of 300 °C and higher, the joinability of AA7075 after the heat treatment is given. Still, for 300 °C cracks are initiated, compromising the joint quality. Despite the occurrence of cracks, the highest joint strength is achieved after a heat treatment at 300 °C, as for higher temperatures, the material’s strength becomes distinctly lower.

Non-destructive Evaluation of Workpiece Properties along the Hybrid Bearing Bushing Process Chain

To combine the advantages of two materials, hybrid bulk metal workpieces are attractive for subsequent processes such as metal forming. However, hybrid materials rely on the initial bond strength for the effective transfer of applied loads. Thus, a non-destructive evaluation of the bonding along the production process chain is of high interest. To evaluate to what extent non-destructive testing can be employed to monitor the bonding quality between the joining partners steel and aluminum and to characterize the age hardening condition of the aluminum component, ultrasonic testing and electrical conductivity measurements were applied. It was found that a lateral angular co-extrusion process can create homogeneous bonding although the electrical conductivity of the aluminum is altered during processing. A previous bonding before the subsequent die forging process leads to a sufficient bonding in areas with little deformation and is therefore, advantageous compared to unjoined semi-finished products, which do not form a bonding if the deformation ratio is too small. An influence of the subsequent heat treatment on the bonding is not visible in the ultrasonic testing signals though a homogenized electrical conductivity can be detected, which indicates uniform artificial aging conditions of the aluminum alloy

Geometric and mechanical joint characterization of conventionally and tumbled self-piercing riveting joints

In view of economic and ecological trends, the concepts for lightweight construction in transport systems are becoming increasingly important. These are frequently applied in the form of multi-material systems, which are characterized by the selective use of materials and geometries. One major challenge in the manufacturing of multi-material systems is the joining of the individual components to form a complete system. Mechanical joining processes such as semi-tubular self-piercing riveting are frequently used for this application but reach their limits concerning the number of combinations of geometry and material. In order to react to the requirements and to increase the versatility of semi-tubular self-pierce riveting, a process combination consisting of a tumbling process and a self-pierce riveting process has been presented previously. This process combination is used in this work to investigate the versatility and to identify the influencing parameters on it. For this purpose, experiments are conducted to identify process-side influence possibilities. The tests are performed with a dual-phase steel aluminum alloy to represent the varying mechanical characteristics of multi-material systems. Furthermore, the initial sheet thicknesses of the joining partners are varied in several steps. In addition to the geometric joint formation used to describe the undercut, the rivet head end position and the residual sheet thickness, the joining process, is also analyzed during the investigations. Further, the innovative joining process is evaluated by comparing it with a conventional self-piercing riveting process. The knowledge obtained represents a basis for the identification and evaluation of the versatility of the process combination.

Robustness Analysis of Pin Joining

The trend towards lightweight design, driven by increasingly stringent emission targets, poses challenges to conventional joining processes due to the different mechanical properties of the joining partners used to manufacture multi-material systems. For this reason, new versatile joining processes are in demand for joining dissimilar materials. In this regard, pin joining with cold extruded pin structures is a relatively new, two-stage joining process for joining materials such as high-strength steel and aluminium as well as steel and fibre-reinforced plastic to multi-material systems, without the need for auxiliary elements. Due to the novelty of the process, there are currently only a few studies on the robustness of this joining process available. Thus, limited statements on the stability of the joining process considering uncertain process conditions, such as varying material properties or friction values, can be provided. Motivated by this, the presented work investigates the influence of different uncertain process parameters on the pin extrusion as well as on the joining process itself, carrying out a systematic robustness analysis. Therefore, the methodical approach covers the complete process chain of pin joining, including the load-bearing capacity of the joint by means of numerical simulation and data-driven methods. Thereby, a deeper understanding of the pin joining process is generated and the versatility of the novel joining process is increased. Additionally, the provision of manufacturing recommendations for the forming of pin joints leads to a significant decrease in the failure probability caused by ploughing or buckling effects.

Multispot laser welding for increased gap bridgability

Laser beam welding is a promising technology to enable automated high-quality welding procedures at significantly higher processing speeds compared to conventional processes. However, its usability is often limited by gap bridgability. This disadvantage is related to the small laser beam spot sizes that require low gap sizes for joining, which are often practically not available, and the desired welding without additional filler materials to enable high processing speeds without direction restrictions. New possibilities of beam shaping for process control are also available now for high-power laser processing and they show promising results. The resulting complex effects require additional investigation to understand the mechanisms and the use of the technologies for process improvements. Therefore, in this work, advanced beam shaping optics with up to four separate laser beam spots was used to understand the impact of multiple-spot welding on the process dynamics and gap bridgability. Gap bridgability was measured by an opening gap setup, while spatter amounts as indicators of process dynamics were measured by high-speed imaging. It was shown that multiple-spot laser welding can increase the gap bridgability, probably due to the initiated melt flow toward the joining partners. Symmetric separation of the keyholes toward the sheets increased the gap bridgability, while additional low-intensity spots in the center were able to stabilize the melt pool and reduce spattering.

Directional dependence of the mechanical properties of structural adhesive joints with curing-induced pre-deformations

Owing to the implementation of multi-material construction methods in modern lightweight construction and the associated use of adhesive bonding technology, thermally induced relative displacements of the joining partners occur during the curing process. The resulting extremely complex thermo-chemo-mechanical stresses can influence the properties of the adhesive layers and reduce the load-bearing capacity. In this study, experiments are conducted to examine the influence of process-related thermal relative displacements on the mechanical properties of adhesives. The results show an anisotropy of the mechanical properties of the pre-deformed adhesive layers, depending on the magnitude and direction of the relative displacement.

Investigation of the influence of formed, non-rotationally symmetrical pin geometries and their effect on the joint quality of steel and aluminium sheets by direct pin pressing

Resource-saving and sustainable production is becoming increasingly important regarding social, political and economic aspects, thus making the use of lightweight-construction technologies a current trend. For this reason, multi-material-systems made of high-strength steel and aluminium as well as metal and fibre-reinforced plastics gain in importance. However, different material properties, e.g. stiffness, thermal expansion coefficients or chemical incompatibilities, are challenging for conventional joining technologies. Joining by cold formed pin structures has shown to have high potential for joining multi-material-systems. These pins can be joined either by direct pin pressing into an unperforated joining partner or by caulking, where the pins are inserted through a pre-punched joining partner and the pin head is upset, resulting in a form-fit joint. Usually, cylindrical pins are used for joining. However, non-rotationally symmetrical pin geometries offer the possibility of introducing a predetermined breaking point or reinforcing a connection in the principal force direction. In this work, cylindrical pins as well as non-rotationally symmetrical pin geometries, such as polygonal and oval pin structures, are cold extruded from the sheet metal plane of an HCT590X+Z dual phase steel and joined in the next step with an EN AW-6014 aluminium using direct pin pressing. Since the formation of an undercut has an crucial influence on the joint strength, the investigations will be focused on the resulting joint geometry. In addition, the effect of different pin heights will be examined to analyse the joint formation at different levels of compression of the pin structures. Finally, the joints are evaluated regarding their joint strength in tensile shear tests and cross tension tests. Here the flow resistance of the geometry used as well as the pin height and thus the strain hardening of the pin base during the extrusion of the pins play a decisive role for the shear strength.

An investigation of the influence of integration of steel heat treatment and brazing process on the microstructure and performance of vacuum-brazed cemented carbide/steel joints

Cemented carbides are commonly brazed to transformation hardening tool steels without taking a proper and adequate steel heat treatment into account. This publication shows the limits and possibilities of integrating a steel heat treatment, including a quenching process, into a vacuum brazing process. Therefore, copper-based filler metals are selected to ensure the steel component’s high and homogenous hardness and supply a high joint quality. In this context, the aimed steel hardness was chosen in the range between 400 and 440 HV1 based on industrial experiences. This specific hardness range for the steel component was set to avoid wear of machining tools in subsequent machining steps if the steel hardness is too high and to prevent wear and deformation of the tool itself in case of a steel hardness too low. When using the transformation hardening tool steel 1.2344, the obtained shear strength values did not exceed a threshold of 20 MPa which can be attributed to the required N2-quenching from brazing respectively solution annealing temperature. However, the steel components featured a hardness of 527.1 HV1 for the specimens brazed with pure copper at 1100 °C and 494.0 HV1 for those brazed with a CuGeNi filler metal at 1040 °C. This publication also shows an alternative route to manufacture long-lasting tools with a cemented carbide/steel joint by applying the difficult to wet and not well researched, but for many other reasons very suitable precipitation hardening maraging steel. Especially, the comparable low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the capability of the lath martensite to compensate large amounts of externally imposed stresses during the austenite-to-martensite transformation as well as the cooling rate independent of the hardening mechanism of the maraging steel and a pre-applied nickel coating including the corresponding diffusion processes are responsible for a sound joint with a shear strength > 300 MPa. Moreover, the subsequent tempering process at 580 °C for 3 h provides the maraging steel joining partner with a hardness of 426.6 ± 6.0 HV1.

Investigation of the influence of the tumbling angle on a tumbling self-piercing riveting process

To achieve the climate objectives, various measures are taken to increase the efficiency of raw materials and energies used. A sector with a large proportion of the global consumption of resources is the mobility sector. To increase the efficiency in this field, large efforts are made to reduce the weight of moving masses. One approach is the use of multi-material systems, which utilises different materials and their specific properties depending on the local requirements. Multi-material systems consist often of materials which differ in strength and density, for example, high-strength steels, aluminium alloys or polymers. Additionally, such a system can utilise different geometries of the components to be joined, characterised for example by varying sheet thicknesses. A central challenge of producing these systems is the joining of the individual components. This requires robust joining processes capable of covering the entire spectrum of possible variants and is feasible for different physical properties of the materials. Since conventional joining processes are rather rigid and have difficulty reacting to changing process and disturbance variables, new joining processes are necessary. With the objective of being able to react versatile to varying parameters, a process combination consisting of a semi-tubular self-piercing riveting process and orbital forming process with adjustable tumbling kinematic is introduced. Due to the process combination of tumbling and self-piercing riveting, mutual influences of the two process components are analysed in regard to material flow and process forces. Further, the investigations show the influence of a varying tumbling angle on the joining process itself and how the characteristic properties undercut, rivet head end position and residual sheet thickness of the joint are affected. The material used for the joining partners is an aluminium alloy EN AW-6014 typical for multi-material systems in the automotive industry and the rivets are from type Rivset C produced by the Böllhoff company.

Systematic adjustment of the joining time in pulsed laser beam welding of aluminum-copper joints by means of a closed-loop control

Electric mobility has become increasingly important in recent years. For this purpose, the use of copper is essential due to its electrical properties. In order to save weight and costs, copper is replaced by aluminum in many electrical conductors.In this paper, the required joining time for pulsed laser beam welding of aluminum-copper joints is investigated to minimize the mixing of both materials. By using an external controller and photodiodes, it was possible to develop a real-time pulse control laser welding process based on process emissions. The spectral emission was used to detect when the lower joining partner is reached during the deep welding process. The control enables the adjustment of different joining times, on the one hand by a signal drop of the spectral emission, on the other hand by a specific time. The laser pulse was terminated between 500 – 800 µs after reaching this event. This led to differences in process conditions, resulting in significant changes in mechanical properties. In this way, a decisive influence was exerted on the resulting joining zone. The interaction duration and the work piece transition are of primary interest. By comparing the results with high-speed recordings in the half-section set-up, the resulting mechanisms can be identified. It could be shown that the breakup time have an high impact for the shear tensile force and the welding depth. A Change in the breakup time of 40 µs could lead to high changes in the tensile shear force.

Conceptualization and Elaboration of a Teaching Unit on Digital Twins in Geometrical Variations Management

Driven by the steadily increasing digitization of design and manufacturing, digital twins, which describe the tight connection of models from design with data streams from manufacturing and product operation, are becoming more and more important. Particularly in geometrical variations management, digital twins can be used beneficially, for example, to identify joining partners that fit together ideally despite geometrical deviations, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and increasing product quality. Motivated by the increasing importance of these approaches with a simultaneous lack of training offers for this, a teaching unit was developed, which aims at students acquiring competencies for the independent development of a digital twin and its exemplary use in geometrical variations management. The paper describes the conceptualization and elaboration of this teaching unit on digital twins in geometrical variations management and carves out opportunities for its further improvement.

Research on Gentle Loosening of Solidified Bolted Joints for Complex Capital Goods

The consideration of sustainability is increasingly becoming a focus in research and production. For example, the recycling process for products that are no longer usable should be optimally prepared by separating materials by type as far as possible. In addition, products should be made usable again by repair or replacement if only sub-components fail. In the case of complex capital goods, like aircraft engines, it is mandatory to preserve the product since damage to the joining partners can lead to immense costs. A decisive factor in this context are assembly connections, which have a major influence on the complexity of disassembly. Concerning this matter, detachable connections, like screwed joints, have many advantages for service, repair and recycling compared with permanent fixing solutions. They can reduce assembly time, simplify maintenance processes, and greatly reduce maintenance time and costs. However, during a product’s life cycle, threaded connections can corrode, leading to damage or even failure of the bolted joints. Beyond that, they can solidify and often only be disassembled destructively. In this article, we present an approach to improve the loosening of operational solidified screwed connections. It is well known that vibrations during operation can reduce the preload force of the connections. We exploit this aspect by inducing vibrations through micro impacts to alleviate the loosening torque of the solidified bolted connection. Depending on the direction of the vibration (torsional or axial), that can ensure a gentle and component-friendly disassembly to a greater or lesser extent in contrast to destroying the screw by drilling or shearing and splitting with the risk of damaging the product being maintained. The designed experimental setup with a piezo actuator allows us to investigate the amplitude and frequency of the induced vibrations for the required disassembly force. The results show that our approach enables component-conserving disassembly, as the forces can be significantly reduced.

Investigation of the influence of varying tumbling strategies on a tumbling self-piercing riveting process

The increasing demands for the reduction of carbon dioxide emission require intensified efforts to increase resource efficiency. Especially in the mobility sector with large moving masses, resource savings can contribute enormously to the reduction of emissions. One possibility is to reduce the weight of the vehicles by using lightweight technologies. A frequently used method is the implementation of multi-material systems. These consist of dissimilar materials such as steel, aluminium or plastics. In the production of these systems, the joining of the different materials and geometries is a central challenge. Due to the increasing demands on the joints, the challenges for the joining processes itself are also increasing. Since conventional joining processes are rather rigid and can only react to a limited extent to disturbance variables or changing process variables, new methods and technologies are required. A widely used conventional joining method with these properties is self-piercing riveting. Because of the rigid tool combination and the fact that the rivet geometry that can be used is related to the tools, the joining of multi-material systems requires tool and rivet changes during the process. In order to extend the process window of joining with self-piercing rivet elements, the process is enhanced with a tumbling kinematic of the punch. The integration of tumbling results in a significant increase in the adjustable process parameters. This enables a higher material flow control in the joining process through a specific tumbling strategy. The materials investigated are a steel and an aluminium alloy, which differ significantly in their mechanical properties and have many applications in automotive engineering, especially for structural car body components. The steel material is a galvanized HCT590X+Z dual-phase steel, which is characterised by a low yield strength, combined with high tensile strength and a good hardening behaviour. The aluminium alloy is an EN AW-6014. The precipitation-hardening alloy consists of aluminium, magnesium and silicon with a high strength and energy absorption capability. The objective of this work is to obtain a fundamental knowledge of the new tumbling self-piercing riveting process. With different mechanical properties and different sheet thicknesses of the joining partners, the influences of these parameters on the tumbling strategy of the riveting process are analysed. Such a tumbling strategy is based on the tumbling angle, the tumbling onset and the tumbling kinematics. These parameters are investigated in the context of the work for selected combinations of multi-material systems consisting of HCT590X+Z and EN AW-6014. With the variation of the parameters, the versatility of the process can be investigated and influences of the tumbling on the self-piercing riveting process can be identified. To illustrate the results, force–displacement curves from the joining process of the individual joints are compared and the geometry of the rivet undercut and rivet heads are geometrically measured. Furthermore, micrographs allow the analysis of the characteristic joint parameters interlock, residual sheet thickness and end position of the rivet head.

Investigation of the joinability of the high-strength aluminum alloy AA7075 in shear-clinching processes

Shear-clinching has proven to be a suitable technology for joining of high-strength materials. However, the mechanical properties of the upper joining partner are limited due to the high strains, which occur during the process. Therefore, shear-clinching of the high-strength aluminum alloy AA7075 in the T6 temper is not possible. Yet, the mechanical properties of hardenable alloys of the 7000 series can be influenced by a heat treatment. Thus, within the scope of this work, the joinability of the high-strength alloy AA7075 in shear-clinching processes in dependance of its temper is investigated. The as fabricated state F, the artificially aged T6 temper, a paint baked state and the naturally aged T4 temper are compared to the fully solution annealed W temper as well as to a retrogression heat-treated state. For retrogression heat treatment, a laser is used as heat source, heating up the alloy for a short term in order to only partially dissolve precipitations. The resulting mechanical properties are determined with uniaxial tensile tests. Moreover, the influence of the mechanical properties of AA7075 on the shear-clinching process, the joint formation and the resulting joint strength is analyzed.

Computed tomography investigation of the material structure in clinch joints in aluminium fibre-reinforced thermoplastic sheets

Recent developments in automotive and aircraft industry towards a multi-material design pose challenges for modern joining technologies due to different mechanical properties and material compositions of various materials such as composites and metals. Therefore, mechanical joining technologies like clinching are in the focus of current research activities. For multi-material joints of metals and thermoplastic composites thermally assisted clinching processes with advanced tool concepts are well developed. The material-specific properties of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics have a significant influence on the joining process and the resulting material structure in the joining zone. For this reason, it is important to investigate these influences in detail and to understand the phenomena occurring during the joining process. Additionally, this provides the basis for a validation of a numerical simulation of such joining processes. In this paper, the material structure in a joint resulting from a thermally assisted clinching process is investigated. The joining partners are an aluminium sheet and a thermoplastic composite (organo sheet). Using computed tomography enables a three-dimensional investigation that allows a detailed analysis of the phenomena in different joining stages and in the material structure of the finished joint. Consequently, this study provides a more detailed understanding of the material behavior of thermoplastic composites during thermally assisted clinching.