Weight reduction, increased fuel economy, and increased safety of structures in transportation applications has led to much interest in lightweight higher strength structural aluminum alloys. Suitable joining techniques to create such structures with aluminum sheets are required. Generally, similar and dissimilar sheet metals can be joined by adhesive bonding, welding, and mechanical fastening. Difficulty of welding and long processing times for adhesive bonding make mechanical fastening a process of much interest for joining of high strength aluminum sheets. Among the different mechanical fastening techniques available in manufacturing, clinching is a common method of joining by forming in which a punch and die are used to form a geometrical interlock. However, the process introduces surface steps on both sides of the joined sheets where one side consists of a protrusion and the other a pit. Also, clinch joining, a well-accepted and widely used process for joining ductile sheet metals, is more challenging for high strength lower ductility aluminum sheets such as AA7075. The current work aims at studying clinch-ability of high strength lower ductility AA7075 aluminum sheets of different tempers by conventional as well as a new clinching technique called "die-less" clinching. A new tooling was designed in order to conduct die-less clinches. The results showed that room temperature clinching is possible for the softer tempers namely solution treated and annealed states. However, the peak aged sheets failed to form a successful joint. A novel electrical resistance heating technique (ERH) to provide ductility to the joined sheets was used to obtain die-less clinched joints in AA7075-T6. ERH technique provides a large range of heating temperatures from room temperature to 270°C for a current duration of 3 sec. The AA7075-T6 sheets showed a superior joining by using ERH. The joint showed a metallurgical locking mechanism in addition to the commonly available form locking mechanism. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Clinching is a common method of joining sheet metals by forming. A punch and die are used to form a permanent geometrical interlock. However, the process introduces surface steps on both sides of the joined sheets where one side consists of a protrusion and the other a pit. Clinch joining is a well-accepted and widely used process for joining ductile sheet metals. Joining of high strength lower ductility aluminum sheets such as AA7075 is more challenging. The current work aims at joining AA7075 aluminum sheets of different tempers by clinching using the conventional method as well as a new clinching technique called "die-less" clinching. The study includes a new tooling design in order to conduct die-less clinches. Also, a novel electrical resistance heating technique (ERH) to provide ductility to the joined sheets was used to obtain die-less clinched joints in the peak aged AA7075-T6. ERH technique provides a large range of heating temperatures from room temperature to 270°C for a current duration of 3 sec. The AA7075-T6 sheets showed a superior joining by using ERH.

Orientador: Maria Helena Robert / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T16:34:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_BeethovenMaxAlvesda_M.pdf: 3678052 bytes, checksum: 2c49240a815892ad66565deba3473b59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Neste trabalho investiga-se a influência da microestrutura inicial e do material do molde na tixoconformação da liga A356. São produzidas e testadas em operações de tixoforjamento pastas obtidas por três distintos processos: fusão parcial controlada de estrutlJ'aS dendríticas grosseiras, fusão parcial controlada de estruturas ultra-refinadas e pastas obtidas por agitação mecânica do líquido durante solidificação. É produzido ainda um compósito A356 + Ab03 obtido por compofundição. Os tixoforjados foram submetidos à análise metalográfica para caracterização microestrutural, medindo-se a fração da fase primária e o tamanho médio de glóbulo ou roseta da fase sólida. Os resultados obtidos mostram a viabilidade da utilização de moldes não metálicos e operações de tixoconformação com produtos de bom acabamento superficial e dimensional. As forças de tixoforjamento são dependentes da condição inicial da matéria-prima, de forma que forças maiores são requeridas com o aumento do parâmetro microestrutural básico (espaçamento interdendrítico, tamanho de glóbulo e tamanho de roseta) da matéria-prima / Abstract: This research aims the influence of initial microstructure and die material on thixofonning of A356 alloy. Obtained slurries are produced and tested in thixoforging operation by three distinct processes: controlled partial melting of coarse dendritic structures, controlled partial melting of ultra-refined structures and obtained slurries by liquid mechanical stirring during solidification. It is still produced a composite A356 + AbO:i obtained by compocasting. Thixoforged samples were submitted to metalographic analysis for microstructural characterisation, measuring the primary phase fraction and globule average size or 50lid phase rosette. Obtained results showed the viability of non-metallic dies in thixoforming operations with good superficial and dimensional finishing produds. Thixoforging forces are dependent on initial condition of raw material, 50 that higher forces are required with the increasing of basic microstructural parameter Onterdentritic spacing, globule size and rosette size) of raw material / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica