Is riveting that much better?

[Trent B]

So, they clamp it by slipping through the holes so other rivet holes will line up?

[Aren_Hill]

Originally Posted by Trent B

So, they clamp it by slipping through the holes so other rivet holes will line up?

effectively a stand in rivet, yes

[vivek16]

long answer: there are pros and cons of each.

short answer: YES

While I still use bolts for super high shear areas, 90 percent of the fasteners we used last year were rivets. Our entire robot was essentially 1/4" aluminum rivets, 1x1x1/16 aluminum tubing, and 4"x4" aluminum triangles for corner connections. We never had a rivet fail. Removal is easy as pie too, just drill through. Hole enlargement was minimal in my experience since the center of the rivet kept the bit straight.

I think someone said earlier that a team could dissassemble and reassemble a robot faster using rivets than bolts. I have to agree, you just have to drill through and re-rivet. I also hate having to tighten loose nuts so riveting is definitely my favorite.

-Vivek

EDIT: With a good square, you can get perfect 90 degree angles without machined corner braces. We just cut them on a miter saw and clamped everything down to a work bench and lined it up with a square. Make sure your holes are aligned though.

EDIT2: We probably saved a few pounds by using rivets too. They are SOO much easier to maintain. Sorry about the edits, I just really love rivets.

[samir13k]

just a heads up on the klekos:

they can be purchased from an aircraft supply store, if you want i could post the link (i would have to look it up quickly)

Basically, to drill all the holes we use templates. we drill one hole, put the drill template on top (the templates are just like ruler with holes drilled various distances from each other, commonly use 3/4-1 inch spacing) we kleko it in (kleko=temporary rivet) and then we drill the opposite side hole in the template, kleko that in, and then drill in between.

short quick description: a kleko is a temporary rivet that is inserted with a plier like specialty tool. it holds things together so that you can align before you actually put rivets in.

(you want to space klekos approximately 3-4 holes apart on straight lines, or about every other hole on complex parts like the curve in the picture mentioned) 50 klekos will do most teams well, i believe we have about 200 or so

[Chris Fultz]

If you use nuts and bolts, use nuts with a nylon insert so they lock in place.

Also, last fall we used some machine screws that had a nylon segment incorporated into the threads, which made them locking, but not permanent.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

We have the full aircraft builder's set up in our shop with pnuematic hammer, a variety of bucking bars, and plenty of kleckos.

For clarity, you should already have seen what a klecko is (see some previous posts). A bucking bar is a relatively heavy bar of metal, maybe the size of a hammer head, with a dimple in one end made to fit the head of a solid rivet. You hold the rivet (which looks like a short nail with no point) in place with it, and whack the other end with the pneumatic hammer. The inertia of the bar holds the rivet in place so the hammer can flatten the other end. They also make bucking bars for the end-to-be-flattened, one uses it kind of like a chisel with a manual hammer. A little more effort, but really low-tech and thus simple. But you need three hands: bucking bar, flattening bar, and hammer.

Very large rivets (think George Washington Bridge) are heated so they flatten more easily, with the important added benefit of shrinking when the cool, thus pulling the joint together even tighter. Small rivets (think FRC177 robot) rarely are heated.

[MrForbes]

Looks like Cleko and Cleco are the most common spelling



(we've never used them, because we don't have any, and we don't make stuff quite as nice as 1501 does)