Blind Rivet Terms

To join two pieces of material, the body of the rivet is inserted into a pre-drilled hole, then a nail rivet tool is used to pull the top of the mandrel to expand the body, clamping the two materials together. The force of the rivet tool then pops off the mandrel, leaving behind the domed head blind rivet.

Standard blind rivets can be placed on components that are accessible on one side or on two sides.

Applications: Containers/tanks, hollow body, tubes, profiles, air ducts and many others.

Characteristics: Economical • versatile • strong • secure

Rivet Body

Aluminium – Lightweight with good corrosion resistance.

Steel – Stronger than Aluminium with a “flash” coating of Zinc. Low corrosion resistance.

Stainless Steel A2 – Good Strength and excellent corrosion resistance.

Stainless Steel A4 – Good Strength and increased corrosion resistance

Copper – Relatively soft. Excellent corrosion resistance and conductivity.

Monel – The strongest blind rivet material with excellent corrosion resistance and conductivity. Also excellent high temperature suitability.

Open End “STANDARD”

General purpose rivet available in a wide range of materials and head styles. Suitable for applications with normal load bearing requirements. By far the most commonly used style of blind rivet due to the ease of use and low initial cost.

Easy to install with easily available hand held riveting tools.

Head Styles.

Dome Head

The Dome Headed or sometimes called Round head blind rivet is the most versatile and commonly used type whose lower profile head is approx. twice the diameter of the rivet body. This provides adequate bearing surface for nearly all applications where metals are being joined.

Available in many material combinations.

Go to the Dome head Blind rivets page.

Countersunk or CSK Head

The Countersunk or CSK head profile provides a neat and flush finish to the joint.

This enables multiple layered assembly and also a safe surface without any projection.

Available in many material combinations.

Go to the CSK Blind Rivets page.

Large Flange

The large flange blind rivets are very useful for joining low density materials. In particular when the softer material is on the front side, the large flange spreads the load over a larger area and prevents the rivet from penetrating the material.

Used extensively for fixing exterior Laminate boards – generally known as Fundermax after the company that pioneered these laminates. Also available as Epoxy head painted option with a number of colours.

Go to the Large Flange Blind Rivets page.

CLOSED End “CUP”

Also known as Sealed Blind Rivet.

Designed with a completely closed body, this rivet is ideal for applications that need to be
water/pressure tight or where mandrel retention is paramount.

Used for providing a leak-proof joint.

Dome Head
CSK Head
LARGE FLANGE

Go to the CLOSED End Blind Rivets page.

Multi-Grip Blind Rivets

MULTI-GRIP Blind Rivets

Dome Head

CSK Head

LARGE FLANGE

Go to the Multi-Grip Blind Rivets page.

Material Usage Guide

Galvanic Corrosion • When dissimilar metals come into contact in the presence of an electrolyte, a galvanic action occurs which corrodes one metal at a faster rate and the other more slowly. This phenomenon can cause major riveted joint failures and care must be taken to avoid the occurrence. The following table is a guide.

	METAL JOINED
RIVET MATERIAL↓	Aluminium	Coated Steel	Stainless Steel	Copper	Brass
Aluminium	YES	CARE	NO	NO	NO
Coated Steel	NO	YES	NO	NO	NO
Stainless Steel	CARE	CARE	YES	YES	YES
Copper	NO	NO	YES	YES	YES
Monel	NO	NO	YES	YES	YES
YES	Compatible
NO	Incompatible – Avoid contact with each other
CARE	Use with care. Painting metals will help

Hence,

1) Select materials that are as close together as possible in the Galvanic Series Chart.
2) Provide a barrier between the two metals, such as paint, non-metallic washer or gaskets.
3) Design the fastener as the cathode so the cathodic area is small as compared to the anodic area.
4) Use a metallic finish on the fastener that is close on the chart to the mating material.