Custom Structural Rivets Manufacturers

Industry Knowledge

What is the main difference between structural rivets and ordinary rivets in structural design strength?

Structural rivets vs ordinary rivets: core differences in structural design strength and industrial application analysis
In modern industrial assembly and structural connection, rivet connection, as a traditional but efficient fastening method, still occupies an important position in many fields such as aviation, automobiles, bridges, and electrical equipment. However, with the continuous improvement of connection technology and structural bearing performance requirements, ordinary rivets in the traditional sense gradually cannot meet the higher standards of strength, durability and safety. Structural rivets came into being and quickly became the first choice for parts with higher strength requirements in engineering.
Core comparison of structural design strength
Ordinary rivets are usually used to connect thin plates or non-critical structural parts that do not bear heavy loads. Their main function is to provide basic assembly stability. This type of rivet is mainly used to simplify construction. The materials are mostly aluminum, copper or low-strength steel. The shear and tensile properties are relatively weak, and it is difficult to withstand long-term concentrated loads or large vibrations.
Structural rivets are a type of high-performance rivets designed to withstand high-strength shear loads and tensile loads. They are reinforced in terms of material selection, structural shape, clamping force and installation method. Structural rivets are usually made of high-strength alloy steel, stainless steel, titanium alloy and other materials. They achieve reliable structural connection through internal locking structure or core pulling mechanism. They are commonly used in high-strength application scenarios such as aircraft skin, bridge steel structure, and key parts of automobile body.
In terms of structural design strength, the main differences between the two are reflected in the following aspects:
Material strength grade difference
Ordinary rivets are mostly soft metals with a tensile strength of 200-300 MPa, while structural rivets are often made of heat-treated steel or hard alloy materials with a tensile strength of 800-1200 MPa or even higher, meeting the needs of high-strength connections.
Different control capabilities of clamping force and preload
Structural rivets can apply precise preload through specific core nail locking design and installation tools to enhance the friction between plates, thereby improving the overall load-bearing capacity of the joint. Ordinary rivets usually cannot control the clamping force, and the connection accuracy and performance are relatively low.
More stable and reliable connection performance
Structural rivets have excellent performance in fatigue resistance, vibration resistance, and corrosion resistance. They are not prone to loosening and fatigue cracks, and are suitable for long-term service in harsh environments or dynamic load conditions. In contrast, ordinary rivets are prone to loosening, falling off, or metal deformation under high-frequency vibration.
Different failure modes
Under extreme loads, structural rivets are often destroyed by "cutting off rivets" or "pulling off core rods" to ensure that the structure does not fail suddenly, while ordinary rivets often fail due to rivet head cracking and poor engagement of hole edges, and have a low safety factor.

What are the key steps usually included in the installation process of structural rivets?

As an important part of modern industrial connection technology, structural rivets are widely used in aerospace, automobile manufacturing, bridge construction, electrical equipment and other fields. Compared with traditional fasteners, structural rivets can provide high-strength connection performance and reliable long-term service performance, and the scientific and standardized installation process is the key to ensuring the quality of the connection.
Hole preparation and precision machining
The first step of structural rivet connection is to precisely machine the holes of the connector. The hole size, position tolerance and hole edge quality directly affect the assembly effect and connection strength of the rivet. Usually, the hole diameter should be slightly larger than the rivet diameter to ensure that the rivet can be inserted smoothly, while avoiding too large a gap to cause the connection to loosen.
Nantong Rongxin Electrical Control Technology Co., Ltd. relies on its long experience in material processing and advanced CNC equipment to accurately control the size of the connector and rivet holes to ensure that each hole meets the design requirements. The company's metallographic analyzer and spectrometer are not only used for material quality control, but also to ensure that there are no significant defects in the hole edges and minimize stress concentration during installation.
Rivet pretreatment and inspection
Structural rivets must undergo strict pretreatment before installation, including cleaning, degreasing, and deoxidation to ensure the activity of the rivet surface and the tightness of the connection. Some high-strength structural rivets also require heat treatment or surface strengthening to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.
Nantong Rongxin has mature tungsten-molybdenum material heat treatment process and surface treatment technology to ensure that the structural rivets produced by the company have stable mechanical properties and excellent durability. In addition, the company is equipped with tensile testing machines and ultrasonic flaw detectors to conduct all-round inspections of the mechanical properties and internal defects of rivets to ensure the high quality of the products shipped.
Selection and calibration of rivet installation equipment
Structural rivets are usually installed using special riveting equipment, such as hydraulic riveting machines, pneumatic rivet guns or automated riveting robots. The choice of equipment depends on the type of rivets, the material of the connector and the on-site construction environment. The equipment must be calibrated regularly to ensure that the output clamping force and installation stroke meet the technical specifications.
Nantong Rongxin pays attention to scientific and technological progress and management science. The company has a complete installation equipment maintenance and calibration system to ensure the stability and accuracy of each equipment during the production process. This not only improves the reliability of rivet connections, but also saves maintenance costs for customers.
Rivet insertion and clamping preload application
During installation, the rivet is first inserted into the connector hole, and then the clamping force is applied by the equipment. Structural rivets emphasize the precise control of preload to form sufficient friction between the connectors, thereby improving the shear and tensile strength of the joints.
This process requires operators to have rich experience and technical training to ensure that the clamping force is neither insufficient to cause looseness nor excessive to cause material deformation. Nantong Rongxin regularly conducts professional training for technical personnel, combined with actual case drills to improve installation quality and efficiency.
Riveting forming and locking structure inspection
Structural rivets are connected by deformation locking after clamping. Common blind rivets with core pulls expand the tail of the rivet by stretching the core rod to achieve firm fixation. After installation, the riveting forming state needs to be checked to ensure that the head and tail of the rivet reach the designed shape without cracks, voids or unformed phenomena.
Nantong Rongxin uses advanced non-destructive testing equipment such as ultrasonic flaw detectors to conduct comprehensive inspections on riveting quality to avoid hidden dangers and ensure that the connectors are safe and reliable under actual working conditions.

How to avoid material deformation or damage during the installation of structural rivets

The importance of hole design and processing accuracy
The occurrence of material deformation and damage during the installation process is often closely related to the hole design and processing accuracy. A hole diameter that is too large or too small will cause uneven stress during rivet installation, which will in turn cause local plastic deformation or cracks in the material.
Nantong Rongxin relies on its predecessor Rugao Shuguang Tungsten Molybdenum Materials Co., Ltd.'s more than 40 years of production process experience, combined with advanced CNC processing equipment, to ensure that the hole size, shape and surface quality of rivet connectors meet the design requirements. The metallographic analyzer and spectrometer introduced by the company are used to accurately detect the microstructure and chemical composition of the material, ensure that the material itself has good uniformity and mechanical properties, and reduce the risk of deformation caused by material defects.
Scientific selection of rivet materials and pretreatment
The selection of structural rivet materials directly determines its deformation resistance and toughness. Although materials such as high-strength alloy steel and titanium alloy have higher load-bearing capacity, if the material toughness is insufficient or the heat treatment process is improper, it is more likely to crack and brittle fracture during installation.
Nantong Rongxin relies on the company's strong material research and development and processing capabilities to strictly control the quality of rivet raw materials and use mature heat treatment technology to improve the mechanical properties of materials. The company's tensile testing machine and ultrasonic flaw detector perform performance and internal defect detection on each batch of rivets to ensure that each rivet can withstand the corresponding load during the installation process to avoid damage caused by material problems.
Reasonable selection and precise adjustment of installation equipment
Improper installation equipment or operating parameters are important causes of material deformation. Excessive clamping force or uneven force mode can easily cause local deformation of the connector and even damage the rivet head and the edge of the connection hole.
Nantong Rongxin attaches great importance to equipment selection and maintenance, equipped with advanced hydraulic riveting machines and pneumatic rivet guns, and establishes a regular equipment calibration system to ensure that the installation clamping force and stroke are accurately controllable. At the same time, the company pays attention to the technical training of operators, improves their mastery of equipment parameter adjustment and operating specifications, and reduces the impact of human operation errors on materials.
Standardized management of installation process
Scientific installation process is the basis for avoiding material deformation or damage. Including slow alignment when inserting rivets, uniform application of clamping force during clamping, and quality inspection after installation, all need to be strictly implemented.
Nantong Rongxin has established a complete set of installation process standards and quality management systems through years of experience accumulation. The company introduces non-destructive testing equipment such as ultrasonic flaw detectors to verify the quality of connectors after each process, timely discover and eliminate potential defects, and ensure that the products meet the requirements of high-standard markets at home and abroad.
Environmental factors and maintenance
External environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and dust can also affect the quality of rivet installation. For example, a high humidity environment may cause oxidation of the surface of rivets and connectors, increase material brittleness, and increase the risk of deformation.
Nantong Rongxin adopts constant temperature and humidity management in product storage and production workshops, and is equipped with professional dust prevention facilities to ensure that rivets and connectors are produced and stored in a good environment. In addition, the company also provides customers with installation environment recommendations and maintenance plans to ensure that the product can perform stably under different working conditions.