RIvets have been around as early as 3000 BC. They first appeared in Egypt, where wooden rivets were used to manufacture several types of tool.
Later on, the wooden rivets were used as fasteners in Gaul (France) while it was under the rule of the Roman Empire.
In the 7th and 8th centuries the Vikings installed planking on their boats using wooden rivets.
From 1840-1930 the use of rivets evolved, and so did the materials that could be fastened.Wooden constructions were widely used and joined with rivets, but the large thickness of parts being fastened resulted in structural disadvantages: for example the risk of rivets splitting made structures unreliable.
At the start of the 19th century there was a breakthrough in the iron and steel industry which helped overcome the unreliability of wooden rivets.Wrought iron and steel, with their ductile behaviour, produced cross sections which provided strong fasteners for thick materials. This triggered and symbolised the start of a new era: the joining era.
Ductile behaviour means the ability deform or in this case stretch the wrought iron and steel to produce metal rivets.
A number of other methods have surfaced since then. However, rivets are still commonly used today to fasten materials together.They are used in a number of industries, including aircraft, automotive, marine and locomotive; in the manufacturing of heating and air conditioning systems; and even furniture-making.
