Craft · 6 pages · 12 min
Why aircraft liked rivets
Rivets join thin aircraft skin without the heat that would soften and warp aluminum alloy.
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From the opening
Aircraft builders liked rivets because thin aluminum skin could be joined without melting it, warping it, or wiping out the strength that heat treatment had put in the sheet. A row of rivets also leaves an overlap whose heads can be inspected from the outside. The opening covers cold joints spare the alloy temper, overlaps pass shear through shanks, and flush heads keep the skin fair.
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Inside
- Cold joints spare the alloy temper
- Overlaps pass shear through shanks
- Flush heads keep the skin fair
- A weld stripe would soften sheet
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Riveted aluminum aircraft skin
- Heat-treated alloys harmed by welding