Simulation based development of the clinch connection with a plane surface on the die side

Clinching processes distinguish themselves by high economic flexibility and easy operation monitoring. These techniques allow the joining of different kinds of metal and newly developed aluminium and steel types without a thermal influence on the base material. Clinching in particular does not require any additional parts such as rivets. Moreover, one tool set is suitable for different kinds of materials and thicknesses. For these reasons, joining by clinching is used in many different areas of sheet metal processing industries. There is, however, at least one disadvantage concerning clinch connections: the protrusion on the die-sided sheet metal, which is basically process-induced. Therefore, this kind of connection is not applicable for exposed surfaces and functional areas. This paper deals with the simulation based development of a one-sided completely flat connection joined by a one-step forming process. With this newly investigated flatclinch connection it is possible to expand the application range of joining by forming processes, especially for lightweight construction materials