Deformation-assisted joining of tubes to sheets made from dissimilar materials

Following previous developments of the authors on deformation-assisted joining of metal tube-sheet connections by annular sheet squeezing, it is the aim and objective of this paper to extend the process applicability domain to polymers and composites. The presentation includes an overview of the main operative parameters, typical plastic deformation modes and process workability limits. Experiments and finite element simulations allowed comparing the results obtained with dissimilar materials against those earlier obtained with metal tubes and sheets. Results confirm the possibility of combining dissimilar materials in form-fit and force-fit tube-sheet connections for applications in flexible lightweight structures.