Flush rivits

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redlaser
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Flush rivits

Post by redlaser »

What is the minimum skin thickness on an aircraft wing to use flush rivits.anyone know the answer?,
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Tailwind W10
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Re: Flush rivits

Post by Tailwind W10 »

I'm not sure there's any minimum or maximum for flush rivets. For thin materials you'd dimple both sheets being riveted together, anything over .030 (for AN426-3 rivets (3/32") you'd countersink the material. If you're riveting a piece of thin sheet to a heavy spar section (for example, you'd countersink the heavy section, lay the dimpled sheet into the countersinks and rivet them together.

On the off chance you're not familiar with dimpling...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo9QCMaNSoA
When you're working with large panels, you'd use a deep c-frame tool with a sprung set of dies, and hit the dies with a mallet. here's a fellow using that tool, though I think he's wailing on it a lot harder than I think you need to. Also he's either lost the spring on the upper die, or doesn't know it should be there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g2xL_R0p2s

Hope this helps
Gerry
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AirFrame
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Re: Flush rivits

Post by AirFrame »

It's spelled rivet, not rivit.

I recommend finding a copy of AC 43-13, which has a lot of good documentation and best practices for working with metal aircraft.
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goingnowherefast
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Re: Flush rivits

Post by goingnowherefast »

You can also get dimple dies that you pull with a pop rivet squeezer and a small nail between the dies. They tend to stretch the nails and they break pretty quickly. Also, of all the methods, it has the worst results. Acceptable, but you can't get the same force you want to get a clean dimple.

http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/to ... ipdimp.php
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edmanster
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Re: Flush rivits

Post by edmanster »

worst thing is countersink the top skin so it has no flat edge - it becomes all knife edge. The real worst thing is to countersink so deep the countersink will cut into the second sheet. if the rivet is installed in a sheet that has no flat edge ie: 'knife-edged' - it will start 'smoking' - loosening up and serving no good purpose. Dimpling is nice - but almost impossible away from an edge - unless u got a female 'snap' perched on a bucking bar and have 4 hands. You can always get some NAS1097AD4-x rivets. They are 1/8 dia rivets with a 3/32 size head - do not require a deep CSk. lots of tricks to the trade - practice before you attempt working on something expensive !
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