Are there any alternatives to rivets?
Are there any alternatives to rivets? |
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There are a number of alternatives to rivets, including welding, brazing, nuts and bolts and adhesives. These are all ways of either permanently or temporarily fastening materials together. | |||
Welding |
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Welding is the process of heating materials until they melt together. Often, a filler material is melted and added to the melted materials to strengthen the joint.
It is performed at very high temperatures. |
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Welding can be used on a number of materials including plastics such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, nylon and ABS.
Metals that can be welded include aluminium, carbon steel, steel, copper and iron. |
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Welding and rivets are both permanent methods of fastening materials. However, when it comes to welding, you are actually combining or changing the materials.
Rivets only require a hole to be drilled through the material to allow them to slot through. |
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Welding can be costly if you don’t already own the equipment needed. Rivets and rivet tools are a lot less expensive.
Welding is not as time-efficient as riveting because you need to set up the equipment, then weld the material in steps, making sure you get that perfect weld. |
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Overall, welding is a more difficult method of joining materials. It is more suitable for larger jobs that require a much stronger joint, such as repairing vehicles and the construction of buildings.
Rivets are often the more suitable option when it comes to fastening material, especially sheet metal. It is time efficient and cheaper – and rivets can be removed if necessary. |
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Brazing |
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| Brazing is the process of joining metal using a filler metal or an alloy. The component is heated and melted on to the areas that need joining; when the filler cools, it hardens and fixes the materials together. | ||||
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It produces permanent joints that are very strong and can withstand wear.
Brazing also creates an airtight and waterproof seal to prevent any leaks. |
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Brazing can join various metals that have different melting points. These metals include copper, steel, aluminium, iron and bronze.
This process allows the joining of dissimilar materials because it uses a filler material rather than melting the materials themselves as in welding. |
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Like welding, brazing is a strong method of joining materials but is time-consuming, expensive and permanent.
Fastening materials with rivets may often be the better option because it is time efficient, cheaper than brazing and rivets can be removed. |
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Nuts and bolts |
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A nut and bolt can be a permanent or temporary fastener. | |||
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Nuts and bolts are generally used to fasten together components including metal, plastic and wood.
They are available in a range of sizes to suit a variety of applications. |
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Nuts and bolts share some similarities with rivets in the way they work. Both types of fastener slot through the material and contain a head at each end to secure the work.
Nuts and bolts can be tightened to a particular degree of pressure to suit the application you are working on, unlike rivets that are simply installed to fit the width of material they are holding. |
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This type of fastening method is cheap, time-efficient, requires little set-up and can withstand wear.
Nuts and bolts can be undone to either fit new ones or to replace the material they are holding. |
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The problem with nuts and bolts are that they can work loose with vibration, which could be potentially dangerous.
Also, the bolt head can easily become rounded if the wrong-sized spanner is used to loosen or tighten it. Bolts can become stubborn when rusty or painted, making them hard to remove. |
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If you are using nuts and bolts, you need to access both sides of your work to fasten them.
An advantage with blind rivets is that they only need one side to be accessed to install them. |
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Nuts and bolts can become cross-threaded, meaning the threads on the nut do not line up with the threads on the nut, making them very difficult to remove.
They are strong and cheap, and generally an excellent alternative to rivets, but are are not always simple to install if you cannot easily access both sides of your work. |
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Adhesive |
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Plastics, metals, woods, ceramics and other materials can be bound using different types of adhesive. | |||
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Adhesives are cheap, time-efficient, reduce the number of components needed (screws or bolts) and are lightweight compared to other methods of fastening. | |||
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Other methods of fastening materials can deform or damage the work surface of your material. For example, when welding, material deforms as it is melted.
Applying adhesive to your work does not require any set-up, unlike welding, brazing and riveting; it is simply spread on to the surfaces that are going to be joined before they are clamped together. |
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Adhesives are an excellent alternative to rivets. However, they can become weak over time from being exposed to physical actions such as friction and chemical actions including the presence of moisture. Also, if adhesive is not applied correctly, joints can be messy.
Another possible drawback with adhesives is that, because they permanently fasten materials, separating them can be difficult, resulting in damage and leftover, dried adhesive. |
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Deciding what to use will depend on what you are attempting to join and whether you need a perfectly sealed joint.
You also need to consider aesthetic factors, as rivets aren’t always attractive and leave your work with holes once removed. |
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