Tensile Strength and Ductility in Manufacturing Rivets

[Bronco425]

What is the importance of tensile strength in the material used to manufacture rivets? What is the importance of ductility in the material used to manufacturing Rivets? Thank you in advance for any potential help.

 

[arunmrao]

Request you to please read some basic book on Metallurgy to understand the significance of tensile strength and ductility and their mutual effect. You could then easily relate to use of rivet a fastener.

 

[Bronco425]

I'm sorry I was not specific when asking the question. The rivet would not be used to hold anything together, it would be used as an electrical contact.

 

[tbuelna]

Bronco,

When used as an electrical contact, I would imagine that electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance would be most important. And these two characteristics are usually better in lower strength, more ductile metal alloys.

Structural rivets are primarily designed to take shear loads. So shear strength is usually of concern. But there is a compromise between shear strength and ductility. Since rivets must usually be cold worked at installation, having the portion of the rivet body that will be upset ductile is of some benefit. It will be easier to install and less prone to cracking. The cold working when the rivet is upset can also sometimes improve the strength of the rivet with alloys that tend to work harden.

If your concerns are purely manufacturability of the rivet itself, then choose an alloy and heat treat condition that gives the highest rate and yield for your particular production process. For example, if the rivet is machined, this might be a free-machining alloy.

Hope that helps.
Terry

 

[arunmrao]

In an electrical operation,eg MCCB or starters, the contacts/tips are rivetted,but the tip base material is not the contact point.There is a silver alloy deposition done to improve electrical contacts and also withstand any arcing.

Thus the primary role as a rivet is retained even in electrical contacts.