Although bolts, screws, and nails are far more common in the world of fasteners, many applications still require the use of rivets. Rivets consist of a head on one side, a tail on the other, and a smooth cylindrical shaft connecting them. Though they can support tension loads, they’re better suited to supporting shear loads that are perpendicular to their axes. Riveting is ideal in situations where workers cannot access the back of the product, such as with a walls or tubing. With riveting, there’s no need to access the rear end of the joint so this isn’t a problem.

Riveting is often a more cost-effective and superior method of fastening. Rivets are easy to install, and thus, have a lower installation cost, while the unit cost is also often lower. They’re available in a variety of materials, types, and sizes in order to meet the requirements of many applications, and they’re reliable because they’re permanently fastened in order to withstand environmental conditions and even severe vibrations. Riveting was a popular method of fastening in the past but it’s still widely used today when a light weight and high strength are vital to the application. They can fasten wood, metal, and plastic.

Here are five common uses for rivets.

Home Building

If you look around your home, inside and out, you might see some rivets that you’ve never noticed before. They’re probably all around you. They’re widely used in gutter construction because nails aren’t as effective for attaching metal sheets together. Additionally, if you have fiberglass roofing, it’s probably held together with rivets. Window blinds, hanger straps, wind guards, and even doors and windows are often installed by riveting.

Wall and Ceiling Decorations and Signs

Because you only have access to one side of a wall or ceiling, riveting is ideal if you’re looking to permanently attach nameplates, signs, or decorations to them. Ornamental objects, Christmas lanterns, Halloween decorations, framed paintings, photo frames, and just about any other type of décor can be efficiently and easily attached to walls and ceilings with riveting.

Woodworking

Wooden stands and shelves, cabinets, lockers—just about anything made out of wood can be held together effectively with the use of rivets. In fact, it’s often the most superior option. They’re more durable than screws and nails, so they ensure a sturdier finished product, which allows the furniture to be held in place for the long run. Even the hinges used on these products, as well as the drawer pulls, handles, and doorknobs placed on them are often attached by riveting.

Jewellery

Both professional and amateur jewellery makers use riveting as a cold connection technique. It allows them to join metal pieces together without having to resort to soldering or using heat, while also adding depth and texture to their jewellery. With just the most basic metal forming skills, some common tools, and some instructional videos, any jewellery maker can use riveting to make cold connections.

Aircraft

Naturally, an aircraft will have to be made from solid, strong materials. But these heavy-duty materials would fall apart if they weren’t fastened together firmly. Though welding, bolting, and brazing are also used in the construction of an aircraft, riveting is also vital to the process. The end goal is to have the strongest union of the parts that are joined together and riveting is necessary to achieve this. It’s most commonly used to join aluminum alloys together, because aluminum is difficult to solder. Riveting provides neatness and strength, while also allowing for a lighter weight in an aircraft. Plus, during the construction and repair of aircrafts, it’s not always possible to reach the rear end of the structure being fastened, which is where riveting becomes especially useful.