[TowerTalk] Who put the 'Pop' in the Pop-Rivet?

[Tom Hammond - N0SS]

Al:

A Pop-Rivet is a 2-piece device:

 1) a short (say 1/4") length of aluminum tube wihich was one
    end flattened out to form the HEAD of the Pop-Rivet.

 2) The other element in a Pop-Rivet is what (mostly) appears to 
    be a nail with a ball-type head instead of the normally FLAT
    head.

    The nail portion is also 'stressed' at a point just underneath
    the head, so that when a pulling stress is placed on the body
    of the nail, the head will break off from the body.  The diameter
    of the ball-end is just slightly larger (say 10% or so) than the 
    inside diameter of the rivet tube.

Now, the body of of the nail is inserted into the barrel of the
Pop-Rivet tube, from the non-flat end, so that most of the nail
body protrudes out of the head of the rivet and the ball-end of
nail rests up against the non-flattened eod of the rivet tube.

When in use, a hole is drilled which is just large enough for the
pop-rvet body AND the ball-end of the nail to be inserted.

The pop-rivet nail is placed into a 'gun' which, when its handles re
compressed, PLUUS the head of the nail up INTO the body of the rivet
and EXPANDS the body of the rivet as it goes.  The more you compress
the handles of the pop-rivet gun, the more it pulls on the nail and
the more of the rivet body is expanded inside the hole... to the
point that it can no longer expand the rivet body.. at which point,
the head breaks off of the nail... the nail comes out, leaving the
pop-rivet well securing the device the device(s) unto which it was
inserted.

Done!

Pop-Rivets come in aluminum, steel, and probably several other 
materials, depending upon your situation of need.

73 - Tom Hammond   N0SS

At 11:12 01/27/2000 -0800, you wrote:
>
>I hiope that what 'they' say is true--no question is too dumb to ask.
>
>What is the pop in a pop rivet?  My little experience was years ago
>watching riveters on airplanes at Boeing.  Each riveting was a team
>effort consisting of a riveter and a bucker using a bucking bar which
>acted as an inertia against the rivet.  How does one do that in a
>long aluminun tubing element?


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