The suitability of round clinching tools for high strength structural steel

The use of light gauge steel framing is increasing rapidly, New methods for joining frames are being sought. One of the most promising methods is clinching. Clinching has been used for almost 20 years. There has been much research into the method, the tools, suitable materials and applications. Few articles have been published concerning clinching of high strength structural steels, which are currently the most relevant materials for house construction. This study included 11 different clinching methods. In total, 469 test pieces were produced. Despite the high strength of the materials, all the clinching methods that were examined could be used satisfactorily. The most significant result was that a round tool is appropriate for all the materials tested. In fact, in comparison with results obtained using other types of tool, when the methods were ranked by maximum shear load capacity, the round design appeared in the top three classes seven times out of nine. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.