Uses for Rivets in Manufacturing and Construction(bead blast material Horace)
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Rivets offer many advantages that make them a popular choice for fastening:
High Strength and Durability
The deformation process work-hardens the rivet, creating a very strong connection. Properly installed rivets withstand tremendous shear and tensile loads, vibrations, and extreme temperatures. High quality rivets are made from strong materials like steel, aluminum, copper, and titanium alloys that stand up to years of use.
Permanent Fastening
Unlike screws and bolts, rivets form a permanent connection that won’t come loose over time. Once installed, the deformed rivet end cannot be removed without destroying the rivet. This makes rivets ideal for critical structural joints that must withstand constant stresses.
Lightweight
Rivets add very little weight versus other types of mechanical fasteners. This makes them ideal for applications where minimizing weight is important, such as aircraft construction.
No Threading Required
Rivets do not require any threading or precision mating of male/female components. The installation process is quick and simple. This reduces production time and cost.
Variety of Head Styles and Materials
Rivets come in a wide assortment of head shapes, materials, and sizes to accommodate different design requirements. Common head shapes include round, brazier, countersunk, and flat. Specialty rivet designs like blind rivets and drive rivets are available for unique installation constraints.
Vibration and Noise Resistance
The tight clamping force of installed rivets helps dampen vibrations and noises in mechanical systems and structures. Rivets do not loosen like threaded fasteners, maintaining noise isolation over years of use.
Corrosion Resistance
Rivets are available with corrosion resistant coatings and can be manufactured from stainless steel or other non-corroding alloys. This makes them ideal for use in harsh, wet environments.
With these advantages in mind, here are some of the most common applications for rivets:
Aircraft Assembly
Aircraft make extensive use of rivets because of their light weight, high strength, and vibration resistance. Both commercial and military aircraft use millions of rivets in the assembly of fuselages, wings, engine nacelles, control surfaces, landing gear, and other components. Special high strength aluminum and titanium alloy rivets are standard in aircraft construction.
Metal Building Construction
Rivets are universally used to assemble the prefabricated metal frame components of modern commercial buildings. Steel I-beams, purlins, girts, and panels are connected with thousands of rivets at structural joints. Rivets provide the combination of strength and vibration resistance needed in metal buildings.
Automobiles, Trucks, and Heavy Equipment
While welding is the predominant fastening method in vehicular manufacturing, rivets are still used in thousands of places, such as:
- Hood, door, and trunk lid hinges
- Door latches and locking mechanisms
- Seat track and attachment hardware
- Truck bed and body panel assembly
- Construction equipment cabins, doors, and panels
Appliances and Electronics
Manufacturers of appliances both large and small make extensive use of rivets to assemble sheet metal housings and frames. Electronics enclosures, servers, telecom cabinets, and kiosks also utilize rivet fastening for durability. The corrosion resistance and vibration dampening abilities make rivets ideal for these products.
Sandwich Panel Construction
Rivets fasten the top and bottom facing sheets to the inner core of sandwich panels used in truck and trailer bodies, cold storage lockers, and building walls and roofs. The hollow core is often foam or honeycomb materials. Rivets securely attach the outer skins under tension while allowing some flexing of the panel.
Plumbing and Pipe Hangers
Plumbers rely on the easy installation and reliability of rivets for assembling and hanging pipe runs. Copper, brass, and aluminum rivets securely fasten galvanized and stainless steel plumbing components that must withstand years of vibration, water exposure, and temperature swings.
HVAC Ducting
Sheet metal rivets assemble the rectangular duct sections used in home and industrial HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems. Duct rivets must resist corrosion and loosening under prolonged vibration and extreme air pressures.
Railroad and Mass Transit Vehicles
Engineers select high strength steel rivets to assemble the aluminum bodies of high speed trains, subway cars, and commuter rail coaches. Rivets reliably fasten body panels and interior components that endure decades of heavy vibration, impacts, and temperature extremes.
In Summary
Rivets deliver an unmatched combination of strength, reliability, corrosion and vibration resistance. Installation is quick and tooling costs are low. While not appropriate for every fastening need, rivets excel in demanding applications where permanent, robust fastening is critical. They will continue to be a go-to fastening solution for manufacturing and construction for the foreseeable future. CNC Milling
