Solid Shank Rivets

The solid shank rivet has been used since sheet metal was first utilized in aircraft and remains the single most commonly used aircraft fastener today. Unlike other types of fasteners, rivets change in dimension to fit the size of a hole. When a rivet is driven, its cross sectional area increases along with its bearing and shearing strengths. Solid shank rivets are available in a variety of materials, head designs and sizes to accommodate different applications.

Figure 1 shows the marking on its head as the identification for each rivet types.

(Figure 1)

Rivets with no head markings are soft 1100 (pure) aluminum, and not used in structural applications. "B" rivets, alloyed with magnesium is identified with a cross on its head. The most common rivet for AME's is the "AD" rivet with a single dimple in its head, which can be installed without any additional handling. This makes the center of the rivet easier to locate when drilling off the head. Double-dimples on the head (and a heavy silver color) will indicate a monel rivet, usually found in high strength locations or in firewalls where temperature may be a consideration. "D" and "DD" rivets are commonly called icebox rivets because they must be heat treated before use. Following heat treating they must be kept in a freezer for no longer than 20 minutes prior to driving.


A rule of thumb for repair of aircraft structure states that AME's should use the same size and head style of rivet as seen in nearby structure. If this is not available, consult the manufacturer's structural repair manual (SRM). Generally, the choice is simplified to universal head or countersunk head AD 2117 rivets.
In selecting the diameter of the rivet, use a guideline of at least 3 (three) times the thickness of the thickest sheet. If the repair is being made to an existing aircraft structure, it is common practice to use the same diameter of rivets in adjacent fasteners, preferrably referring to rows inboard or forward on the fuselage. Length is gauged by using the formula of 1.5 times the diameter protruding through the structure. That is to say, if we are riveting two skins of 0.040", then our rivet diameter would be at least 0.120" (or 1/8"), and the length would be estimated at 0.267". We can calculate this length by adding the two skins (.040 x 2) to the diameter-and-a-half of the rivet (0.187") to achieve a length of 0.267". The nearest size to this length is a 1/4" grip length rivet (a -4). See figure 2 for example.

(Figure 2)

After driving the solid rivet, we should inspect the shop head (also called the "formed" head) for dimensions of .5 x D in height, and 1.5 x D in width. See figure 3.

(Figure 3)