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- Two-stage joining of sheets perpendicular to one another by sheet-bulk formingPublication . Silva, Carlos; Bragança, Ivo; Alves, Luis; Martins, PauloThis paper proposes a new joining by forming process for fixing longitudinally in position two metal sheets (or plates) perpendicular to one another, at room temperature. The proposed process employs a counterbored variant of the ‘mortise-and-tenon’ joint that eliminates the protrusion of the tenon beyond the mortise after mechanical locking by plastic deformation. The presentation draws from the workability limits and material stress-strain characterization to validation by joining and destructive pull-out testing. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new proposed process for producing flat joint surfaces, which are advantageous over typical ‘mortise-and-tenon’ protruded surfaces in most applications.
- Ligthweight joining of polymer and polymer-metal sheets by sheet-bulk formingPublication . Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Alves, Luís; Martins, PauloThis paper presents an environmentally friendly joining process based on sheet-bulk plastic deformation to connect two polymer (or a polymer and a metal) sheets perpendicular to one another. The methodology draws from material characterization and finite element modelling, using an extension of the flow formulation to pressure-sensitive polymers, to experimentation in a laboratory tool setup and destructive testing of the produced joints. The results allow characterization of the joinability window as a function of the major operating parameters and demonstrate the feasibility of the process to produce polymer and hybrid joints (polymer-metal) at room temperature. A variant to the proposed process is disclosed to handle situations where the elastic recovery of the polymer sheets needs to be better controlled. The overall content of the paper is an extension of a previous work of the authors for fixing longitudinally in position two metal sheets perpendicular to one another, and seems promising for the manufacture of lightweight joints made from polymers or polymers and metals.
- On the performance of thin-walled crash boxes joined by formingPublication . Silva, Diogo F. M.; Silva, Carlos; Bragança, Ivo; Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Alves, Luís; Martins, PauloA new joining by forming process that combines lancing and shearing with sheet-bulk compression is utilized to assemble thin-walled crash boxes utilized as energy absorbers. Process design and fabrication of the new crash boxes are analyzed by finite elements and experimentation. Axial crush tests were performed to compare the overall crashworthiness performance of the new crash boxes against that of conventional crash boxes assembled by resistance spot-welding. Results show that the joining process is a good alternative to resistance spot-welding because the new crash boxes can absorb the same crushing energy, and because the new process helps to overcome typical manufacturing problems of welding.
- Joining by forming of lightweight sandwich composite panelsPublication . Contreiras, Tomás R. M.; Pragana, João; Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Alves, Luís M.; Martins, PauloThis paper presents a new joining by forming process to assemble longitudinally two metal-polymer sandwich composite panels perpendicular to one another. The process combines sheet-bulk forming with mortise-and-tenon joints to produce mechanically interlocked joints with large and stiff flat-shaped heads. Experimentation and finite element modelling with representative unit cells give support to the presentation and special emphasis is placed on the application of the process to the fabrication of lightweight composite panels for structural applications. Failure of the joints takes place by cracking and not by disassembling after unbending the flat-shaped head of the joint back to its original shape. The required forces to produce the new type of joints are below 15 kN, allowing them to be an easy to implement alternative to existing solutions based on adhesives or fasteners.
- Joining aluminium profiles to composite sheets by additive manufacturing and formingPublication . Baptista, R. J. S.; Pragana, João; Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Alves, Luís; Martins, PauloThis paper explores the application of the 'mortise-and-tenon' concept for joining hollow section aluminium profiles to composite strips or sheets. Wire arc additive manufacturing is combined with joining by forming to fabricate the tenons and to obtain the mechanical interlocking with the mortises available in the strips (or sheets). The workability limits are established by means of an analytical model that combines plastic deformation, instability and fracture. Experimental and finite element modelling are utilized to develop the overall joining process and to validate the round 'mortise-and-tenon' design resulting from the analytical model. Pull-out and shear destructive tests are carried out to evaluate the overall strength of the joints and results allow concluding that the new joints can easily and effectively replace existing solutions based on welding, fastening or adhesive bonding. The proposed joining process also circumvents the need to design extra fixing and interlocking features in low cost hollow section aluminium profiles for easy assembling.
- Manufacturing hybrid busbars through joining by formingPublication . Pragana, João; Baptista, R. J. S.; Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Alves, Luís; Martins, PauloThis paper focus on the production of hybrid busbars made from copper and aluminium by means of a joining by forming process that was recently developed by the authors. The process involves the combined use of partial cutting and bending with form-fit joining by compression in the direction perpendicular to strip thickness. The resulting joints are flat with the plastic deformed materials enclosed within the thickness of the overlapped strips. Design is performed by means of an analytical model and the overall manufacturing concept is validated through numerical and experimental modelling. Major process parameters are identified and their influence on the overall deformation mechanics and joining feasibility is investigated. The effectiveness and performance of the new joints is analysed by means of tensile-shear loading tests. Results show that joining by forming can be successfully utilized to produce form-fit joints with good shear forces in hybrid busbars for electrical applications.
- Joining by forming of metal-polymer sandwich composite panelsPublication . Pragana, João; Contreiras, Tomás R. M.; Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Alves, Luís; Martins, PauloThis article presents new joining-by-forming processes to assemble longitudinally two metal-polymer sandwich composite panels perpendicular to one another. Process design draws from an earlier development of the authors for metal sheets to new concepts based on the combination of sheet-bulk forming with mortise-and-tenon joints. Selected examples obtained from experimentation and finite element modelling give support to the presentation. A new three-stage joining by the forming process is capable of producing mechanically locked joints with larger and stiffer flat-shaped heads than those fabricated by alternative single- or two-stage solutions. Failure in the new three-stage joining by the forming process is found to take place by cracking instead of disassembling after unbending the flat-shaped head of the joint back to its original shape. The required forming forces to produce the new metal-polymer joints are below 15 kN, allowing them to be an effective, easy-to-implement alternative to existing solutions based on adhesive bonding, welding and mechanical fastening.
- Form-fit joining of hybrid busbars using a flexible tool demonstratorPublication . Reichel, A.; Sampaio, Rui F. V.; Pragana, João; Bragança, Ivo; Silva, Carlos; Martins, PauloThis paper is focused on hybrid busbars made from copper and aluminum strips and presents a flexible tool demonstrator capable of replicating material flow in the lancing, bending and compression stages of a new joining by forming process without auxiliary elements. The flexible tool demonstrator is defined by its modular concept that allows the active tool components to be easily interchanged for testing and exploring different materials and thickness combinations, surface conditions and cross-section areas of the strips under laboratory conditions. Experimental and numerical simulation with a selected hybrid busbar geometry validates the overall concept and fabrication of the demonstrator and shows that the new joining by forming process can produce permanent form-fit joints with smooth upper and lower surfaces containing all the plastically deformed material within the thickness of the two strips. Complete filling of the free volume left in-between the thickness of the two strips allows obtaining an electric resistance lower than that of fastened hybrid busbars.