A Bowl Of Nuts: The Rivet Story

You may not be looking to build a tall tower, like the famous one built by a Frenchman for a major expo, but you may be curious about the world around you and what exactly holds it together. The answer: rivets. One of the oldest and most dependable types of fasteners, rivets date back way before us. Interest piqued? Well pass the nuts and let's talk about the history of rivets and their companion, the rivet nut.

First off, if you didn't get the hint earlier: a rivet is a mechanical fastener. A rivet is essentially a round shaft (known as the buck-tail) the finishes up to a head. When you install the rivet, you first place it in a drilled hole. Through the installation process the tail will be bucked so that it expands to 150% of the original size of the shaft, this holds the rivet in place. With these two ends of the rivet, the original head (less deformed) is known as the factory head and the the upset end is the buck-tail. The two types of loads supported by rivets are those which are parallel to the shaft's axis (tension) and those that are perpendicular (shear). Rivets are best suited for shear loads. Bolts and screws would be the best choice if you are trying to hold a tension load. Find out more info about rivets and rivet guns.

But enough of the how-to, let's look at common uses of these great little fasteners. Friction-lock rivets, of the blind rivet category, has widespread popularity for it's use in building and repairing airplanes. In the early days, pull-through hollow shank rivets and self-plugging rivets were the two common types of friction-locks. However, the pull-through form is not common anymore. If you take a close look at wooden boats built in the traditional style you'll see things such as copper nails and clinch bolts (often referred to simply as bolts and nails). These fasteners, even if they don't bear the name, work in the same way as rivets.

And where would we be without a mention of rivet nuts? Also known as a blind nut, the rivet nut is internally threaded and counterbored that can be anchored from one side. Rivet nuts are drawn in using a screw, but there are two general categories based on the the way the screw is drawn in. Also popular in aircraft building, the first rivet nut was used to mount rubber boots intended to help with de-icing of wings. Typically used in mounting on the surface of airplanes, with static wicks for example, rivet nuts still find a lot of use in aviation. For more ideas on rivet tools, click here.

Though they are small and old, rivets are vital in constructing the things we see today. And we've only covered a very small amount of the rivet story. Perhaps one rivet hole in a whole bridge of information! Nonetheless, this little introduction will be useful as you explore all that rivets and rivet nuts have to offer.