Rivets are mechanical fasteners that consist of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end and a tail at the opposite end. On the installation, a riveter places a rivet in a pre-drilled hole, and the tail is set or bucked (i.e., deformed) with a rivet gun, rivet tool or pneumatic hammer so that it expands to about 1.5 - 2 times the original shaft diameter, holding the rivet in place. They are used to permanently join two steel, aluminium or copper plates usually in mechanical applications where it is imperative that joints do not become loose and cause failure. You can find out more in our rivets guide.
Types of rivets
There are many types of rivets available:
- Blind Rivets also known as drive rivets have a mandrel through their centre that once inserted into pre-drilled holes of the parts they are joining, the blind end expands and the mandrel snaps off. They can be installed from only one side making them ideal for areas where access is limited.
- Tubular Rivets have a shank hole within the shaft of the rivet and are available with different head styles such as the oval, button, flat and countersunk.
- Snap Rivets are supplied pre-assembled and simply push into the required holes providing a fast and neat solution.
- Solid rivets, or the original rivet. These solid fasteners resist water, vibration, tampering, and other severe conditions.
- Threaded insert and rivet nuts which are applied like a classic rivet integrate seamless, strong, and permanent threading in fragile sheet materials
Where can be Rivets used?
Rivets are intended to offer awesome flexibility, enabling them to fasten wood, metal, plastic and substantially more. They are especially suited for restricting delicate, thin materials and generally fragile connections. Most common, everyday rivet applications include:
- Building and construction
- Transportation and infrastructure
- Woodworking and decorative finishing
- Fine metalwork
- Aviation, aerospace, and automotive
Rivet material selection:
- Aluminium
- Steel
- Stainless Steel Rivets
- Nickel Copper Alloy Rivets
- Copper Rivets