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Squeezer Technique / Installed Rivet Quality

MJarreau

Well Known Member
Hi,

We are not expecting to create perfection, but we are striving for it. The rivet in the image was installed with a squeezer. Details:

  • AN470AD4-4
  • No hole yoke
  • 90 PSI on squeezer
  • Squeezer mounted in a vice
  • Rivet length is appropriate
  • Set was parallel to manufactured head before squeeze
  • No smileys (sp?) were created
  • Final shop head surface was parallel web where installed
This is one example of many such rivets. We removed this one (and similar others) because we believe the shop head was marginal (at best).

Will you please offer an opinion on the cause of this?

Please note the image shows modest incursion into the wall of the 2nd layer of material (closest to the shop head). We were not able to discern any damage (elongation) to the hole itself.

Thank you and best regards,
Mike
 

Attachments

  • Squeezed Rivet, Unacceptable Quality, Detail 04.jpg
    Squeezed Rivet, Unacceptable Quality, Detail 04.jpg
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Squeezer

My guess is the dies were not perfectly perpendicilar to the rivet shank and it clinched a little. I don't think it was so bad it deserved to be drilled. My larger yoke sometimes does that. I suspect it flexes just a little.
One note. I don't drill past the head. Too much danger of missing and hitting the hole.
 
One note. I don't drill past the head. Too much danger of missing and hitting the hole.
Larry, the head was completely removed before the hole was drilled into the shank. It was drilled because punching the rivet out of the hole proved to be a challenge. But yes, we agree with you.

Thanks!
Mike
 
I don't get this picture. Is it a finished rivet that you drilled and then partially squeezed another rivet?

For me, my technique is pull on the squeezer a little to make sure that the rivet is fully seated against the material, then I partially engage the squeezer to just contact the rivet and make sure that I'm square to the axis of the rivet, then I do the final squeezing. I also started adding rivet tape to the head to prevent marking of the factory head. I makes it a little tougher to get the set against the factory head, but it does protect it.

If I was using the squeezer in a vice like you are doing I would push the material against the factory head and the die as the first step. I do think using the squeezer in a vice is going to make it harder to get the alignment correct for anything but smaller pieces, but just my opinion.
 
My 4" no hole yoke flexes a lot and makes setting even -3 rivets a challenge. Can't imagine the struggle bus with doing -4 rivets. I prefer my longeron yoke for those. If that won't work, I usually pick up the gun/bar.

Couple techniques I've employed with varying results:
1. The "rotate the squeezer body ever so slightly while crushing a rivet" technique which helps when there's a lot of yoke flex.
2. I also find that rivet clinching can be sensitive to where on the set your making contact. I always try to put the rivet as close to the throat side of the yoke as possible while keeping it on the set. I also ground down the nose of my 3" yoke so I can achieve this objective.
3. Closing the squeezer jaws until it just makes contact with both ends of the rivet, then pushing on the manufactured head and doing your best to make sure the rivet shank is perpendicular to the material to be fastened, then moosh the rivet.

I've never been able to just rip through a line of rivets with a squeezer in the carefree manner I see others use. Its true that the squeezer improves consistency, but i find it still takes patience and concentration on each rivet to achieve good results.
 
My 4" no hole yoke flexes a lot and makes setting even -3 rivets a challenge. Can't imagine the struggle bus with doing -4 rivets. I prefer my longeron yoke for those. If that won't work, I usually pick up the gun/bar.

I agree
I would never use a no hole yoke for 1/8" rivets unless there was no other option.
It's design intent was to access tight spaces (such as on control surface rib trailing edges to set 3/32" rivets.
Try a different (more massive) yoke for the 1/8' rivets and see what the result is.

For 1/8" rivets, using the shortest reach yoke that will work is always a best choice.
 
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