Rivet is one type of mechanical fastener that creates a permanent joint with more two or more items. It has been widely used in many applications and different industries. Rivet is composed of a head on one end and a cylindrical stem (usually we call it tail) on another end and usually made out of low carbon steel. It has a flat unthreaded shaft that inserted through a hole created for joining two or more items together. The shaft can prevent radial movement of the items. Rivet is durable, strong, good at supporting the shear load, resisting considerable forces and vibration. A rivet can also be made of other materials such as aluminum or copper if the weight and level of corrosion resistance are important to the applications. The rivet can be used to join about any type of material, a small rivet can join paper and wood pieces, while a large rivet can join metal or other heavy-duty items. They are many types of rivets with different purposes, materials, shapes, sizes, and applications in Malaysia. The types of rivets include the standard round head, blind, semi-tubular, drive, flush, countersunk, friction-lock, Oscar, and self-pierce. We will introduce them further in this article.
How Do Rivets Work?
The process of joining items together with the use of rivet is called Riveting. The rivet will be placed into a previously punched or drilled hole on the items, then it will be pounded with a special tool or hammer into the hole, At the other end, a force will be applied through a die to deform or expand the tail in order to form a new ‘head’ to securely hold the rivet in place from another side. The process of deforming the tail is known as upsetting or bucking. After the deforming process, we will have two heads located separately at each end of an installed rivet to provide support to the items.
What are the common types of Rivets in Malaysia?
1. Solid Rivets
Solid rivet is one of the oldest, most reliable, and commonly used types of fastener which has been using since the Bronze Age. Solid rivet is also known as a round rivet. It has a very traditional design which consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft and a head on one end. The solid rivet can have different designs on the head such as countersunk head rivet, protruding head rives which including round head rivet, flat head, universal head, and brazier-head. When installing the rivet, we need to use it together with a hammer, crimping tool, or rivet gun to deform the headless end and hold the rivet in place. Due to its high reliability and level of safety, the solid rivet is widely used in the construction of aircraft, bridges, or steel structures. The solid rivet used for aircraft is mainly made of aluminum alloy, titanium, or nickel-based alloys.
2. Flush Rivets
Flush rivet is also known as countersunk rivet which is a type of rivet that uses a countersunk head and hole. It can provide a very good appearance and diminish unnecessary aerodynamic drag as it will be sitting flush with the item or workpiece on the external surface after installation, unlike other rivets that protrude from the item. Flush rivet is used extensively on the exterior of aircraft since it can reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence.
3. Tubular Rivets
Tubular rivet is also called semi-tubular rivets. Its shape is similar to the solid rivet but it has a partial hole in the center of its tail. The design of the hole helps to reduce the force required when rolling the tubular outward. Common applications of the tubular rivet are ladders, ducting systems, lighting, binders, electronics, mechanical product, etc. Some types of tubular rivets include compression, full tubular, and semitubular.
4. Blind Rivets
Blind rivet is also known as a pop rivet or hollow rivet as it is hollow and has a mandrel that can run through the center hole. It is used when it is impossible to see the rivet tail at another side of the joint and so it can be installed just from a single side. A riveter will be used to control the mandrel during the installation of blind rivets and to deform the blind rivet. The key advantages of using blind rivet are it possesses the fastest installation speed among other fasteners and it only requires one operator during the installation process. Blind rivet is widely used in the aircraft, electronic, or shipping industries. Blind rivet is classified into three categories according to its installation methods which are Pull mandrel, drive pin, and threaded stem.
5. Drive Rivets
Drive rivets is a type of blind rivet as it has a short mandrel that protrudes from the head. There is no hole that needed to be drilled all the way through the items when installing the drive rivet. We can easily install it with a hammer since It does not require any special tools for installation. We use a hammer to drive the mandrel and the end of the rivet will flare out inside the hole to fix the item in position. However, drive rivets offer less clamping force than most other types of rivets. Drive rivets can be used in any material such as steel, wood, plastic, etc. It is commonly used for architectural products or similar applications.
6. Split Rivets
Split rivet is also called bifurcated rivet which is a type of self-piercing rivets as the shaft is pre-splitting into opposite directions like ‘two legs’. The legs will be folded back after inserted into the hole for holding the joined items together. It is designed for soft materials such as plastic, leather, textiles, and wood. Split rivets are usually required special tools for installation.
7. Structural Steel Rivets
Structural steel rivet has a similar design as solid rivets. It is usually made of steel. Structural steel rivet is designed for high-stress commercial construction applications such as bridges, storage sheds, high-rise buildings, structural buildings, and many more. But the use of structural steel rivets has been widely replaced by the high-strength bolt as it doesn’t require skilled workers to install these bolt fasteners.
At MecHero Malaysia, we offer rivets in a wide range of sizes and materials to meet the requirements of your fastener applications. You can always contact us at +6011-7000 7687 or email us at my.mechero@gmail.com for an inquiry about the fastening tools. As a steel and hardware online supplier in Malaysia, we also supply a wide range of steel material, general hardware, or mechanical components. Tell us your requirements now and we can advise you accordingly.
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