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Quality inspection of clinched joints of steel and aluminum

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Abstract

To develop a reliable monitor method for inspecting the quality and strength of the clinched steel and pre-strained aluminum joints, the electrical resistance method was introduced. A 0.7-mm thick galvanized SAE1004 steel and 1.0-mm thick pre-strained aluminum AA6111-T4 were clinched, and the section parameters, the electric resistance, and strength of the clinched joints were measured. The strengths of the clinched joints were evaluated and correlated with the bottom thickness and electrical resistance of the joints. The results showed that the pre-strained aluminum from pre-stamping significantly increased the electrical resistance (R) and decreased the variation of electrical resistance (ΔR) and strength of the clinched joint. Both the ΔR and bottom thickness can detect the strength variation for the clinched as-received and pre-strained aluminum-steel joints, but the ΔR was more sensitive than the bottom thickness to reflect the effect of aluminum pre-straining on the joint strength. Therefore, it may be more appropriate to use the variation of electrical resistance to inspect the strength of the clinched steel and aluminum joints.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, People’s Republic of China

    Teng Jiang & Zhong-Xia Liu

  2. Manufacturing Systems Research Laboratory, General Motors Global Research and Development Center, 30500 Mound Road, Warren, MI, 48090, USA

    Pei-Chung Wang

Authors
  1. Teng Jiang
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  2. Zhong-Xia Liu
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  3. Pei-Chung Wang
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Correspondence to Zhong-Xia Liu.

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Jiang, T., Liu, ZX. & Wang, PC. Quality inspection of clinched joints of steel and aluminum. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 76, 1393–1402 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-014-6362-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-014-6362-x

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