Rivet back-up washers for blind rivets
Rivet back-up washers for 3/16″ diameter blind rivets provide solution for over-sized hole conditions. These aluminum rivet back up washers can be slid over the shank of the rivet after it’s inserted into the application hole. To accomplish this you must have access to the back or blind side of the application so your fingers can reach the inserted rivet and slide a back up washer onto the shank and up against the back side material. Once in place, the washer will now be the correct hole size and allow the conventional type pop rivet to perform as it was designed.
For more information this manufacturer provides a helpful “how to use blind rivets” guide. The guide is complete with easy to follow color charts highlighting the pros and cons of four types of rivets. You’ll also find helpful engineering data for suggested application hole sizes and material thickness. There are photos and videos for what rivets and applications may look like as well as real world installation views. There’s nothing like watching a video of a similar application to what you’re contemplating. Rivet back-up washers can be a useful help when application holes are either worn larger or oblong shaped. Usually a low cost item, rivet back-up washers can be an easy solution to a wrong sized hole.
These aluminum rivet back-up washers are designed for 3/16″ diameter blind rivets. The hole I.D. is the recommended .192 to .198 inches to allow for optimum backside rivet clamping. They are about 1/2″ outside diameter, which provides improved back side surface contact area for improved clamping. This can be especially important when fastening fiberglass or composite materials as the increased bearing surface area will reduce the possibility of the material cracking. These aluminum washers are about 1/16″ thickness (.062 inches) and plenty strong enough to provide the significant surface area needed for optimum back side rivet formation.
Rivet back-up washers are usually an easy item to find and purchase, however, it is recommended considering made in USA washers for a number of reasons. Let’s start with the base material of which they are made, aluminum. American standard alloy grades are made to uniform and specifically itemized specifications. For example an aluminum alloy of 5052 grade has defined and specific elements blended into the material, which in turn provides defined and specific strengths and durability expectations. These defined features can be extremely important when considering the purpose and performance of the product. In this case an aluminum rivet back-up washer. Some may ponder why make a big deal of aluminum back up washers? Well it’s simple, why use an inferior product and subject your application to less than optimum construction and performance. There are many “imported” aluminum washers, which may be made of mystery aluminum materials and certainly may not be as strong as American standard grades of aluminum.
When buying from aDP Rivet you will be assured the products they sell are designed and manufactured to provide accurate and dependable performance. They offer and share over 3200 customer reviews of their products via an independent ranking source. Their five star ranking system measures reliability, communication, honesty and performance and aDP Rivet consistently ranks at the very top of the 100% performance position.
