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Clinching technology is a mechanical connection technology that is applied to connect metal or non-metal sheet materials. It is widely used in different applications, such as automobile, aircraft, household appliances and other industries. In order to reduce weight, save energy, reduce fuel consumption, reduce pollution and curb global warming, lightweight structures with clinched joint are increasingly used in transportation. The finite element technology is popularized in engineering, so that it can get similar results with the test after investing less time, manpower, energy and material resources, which is conducive to the prediction and smooth progress of the test. A review of the finite element analysis of clinching technology is provided in the present paper. The article's work also discusses the strength of the clinched joint, the factors influencing the clinched joint's strength, the failure mechanism of the clinched joint, etc. Furthermore, the novel technologies of clinching as well as the finite element models and methods used in clinching, are introduced. The present paper's main objective was to review the recent developments in the finite element analysis of clinching and provide a basis for further investigation in this area of research.

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Lightweight aluminum alloys are widely used in automotive structural parts. Clinching (press-joining) is one of the most promising alternatives to welding for joining aluminum alloys, and as the failure of the joint is mainly caused by fatigue, the fatigue properties of the clinched joints directly affect the reliability and safety of the connected specimens. To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, the static mechanical and fatigue properties of Al7075 aluminum alloy single-lap clinched joints were studied using static strength and tensile-tensile fatigue tests. The F–N curves of the joints were fitted using a straight-line and three-parameter power function method. The fractured samples and wear scars were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the neck of the clinched joint and the upper sheet near the joint experienced the highest degree of fatigue fracture, the fretting wear debris consisted mainly of alumina and metallic aluminum, and the fretting wear was of a mode that differed from the two modes identified in the literature that we have dubbed “upper sheet inter-sheet region fretting wear.”

Lightweight aluminum alloys are widely used in automotive structural parts, and clinching technology is one of the promising techniques for joining aluminum alloys. Since joint failure is mainly caused by fatigue failure, the fatigue properties of the clinched joints directly affect the reliability and safety of the connected specimens. Therefore, the static mechanical and fatigue properties of the Al7075 aluminum alloy single-lap clinched joints were studied using the static strength test and tensile-tensile fatigue test. The F-N curves of the joints were fitted using the straight-line fitting method and the three-parameter power function method. The fractured samples and wear scars were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectroscopic technique (EDS). The results indicated that the neck of the clinched joint and the upper sheet near the joint had maximum fatigue fracture, and the fretting wear debris was mainly composed of alumina and metallic aluminum. The third type of fretting wear mode, i.e., inter-sheet of upper fretting wear mode, was found.