Military Stainless Steel Blind Rivet Nuts

Military: Military contractors and sub-contractors use a wide variety of rivets to fabricate items, assemblies, and sub-assemblies intended for our armed forces. Rapid Rivet is Your Rivet Specialist. We are a Master Stocking Distributor of rivets, rivet nuts, threaded inserts, and tooling. We have a large and varied inventory to meet your needs. No automated telephone answering system here at Rapid Rivet. Speak directly to a knowledgeable salesperson who will assist you in selecting the rivet you require. We pride ourselves in our ability to give you a fast and competitive quotation. Many items are in stock, and next day delivery is available when requested. Most items are available with manufacturer’s certifications and test reports. We also can offer bar coding, unit packaging, and will set parts and shipments up for long-term release dates.

Stainless Steel: Stainless Steels are part of a family of iron based (ferrous) alloys, each having a chromium content of not less than 12 percent.  Chromium does not corrode; therefore stainless steel has a high degree of resistance to corrosion.  The higher the chromium content in the stainless steel, the greater the degree of resistance to corrosion.  In addition to iron and chromium, stainless steel also contains varying amounts of nickel.  Nickel gives the stainless steel even higher resistance to corrosion, and makes the stainless steel stronger, especially at high or low temperatures.  The reason why stainless steel does not rust, is its ability to spontaneously form a thin invisible oxide film coating on the exposed surfaces, which when formed, prevents further corrosion from taking place.  Stainless steel is an expensive material, but less expensive than the nickel alloy materials (monel, etc.).  It is stronger than steel, and monel.  It is always annealed.  It is almost never plated, as it needs no additional protection from corrosion.  There are many different alloys of stainless steel; the types most commonly used for rivets are: A-286, 302HQ, 304L, 305, 316, 347, & 430.  There are a wide variety of uses for stainless steel including: hardware, cookware, cutlery, surgical instruments, appliances, and as a structural material in buildings, and in the automotive and aerospace industry.

Blind:  (As in break-mandrel Blind Rivets, or “pop” rivets)  A blind rivet is a two-piece fastener consisting of a rivet body (sometimes called a “sleeve”) and the setting device called a mandrel. (or, stem or nail)  A blind rivet is used where access to a joint is limited to one side.  (You cannot “see” the other side of the joint, therefore it is “blind”)  A blind rivet is set by pulling the mandrel head into the rivet body, expanding the rivet body and causing it to flare against the reverse side.  As the head of the mandrel reaches the face of the blind side of the material, and at a pre-determined force, the mandrel will snap at the break point of the mandrel.  The rivet body forms a tight joint, the head of the mandrel remains encapsulated in the blind side, and the mandrel stem is ejected.

Blind Rivet:  Blind rivets can be set by relatively inexpensive tooling, which reduces costs. Structural blind rivets are also available for the aircraft industry and commercial uses. Structural blind rivets are employed where a solid rivet would normally by used, but where access to a joint is limited to one side.

Steel:  (Also called Mild Steel and Low Carbon Steel)  This is the most common material for use in fasteners.  Steel is an alloy consisting of mostly iron, and a small percentage of carbon, (between 0.05 – 1.1%) It is the least expensive metal.  It is strong, has good workability, and can be produced in a wide variety of forms.  Its chief disadvantage is its susceptibility to corrosion (rust) in an un-plated, unprotected form.  Its other drawback, in aerospace applications, is that steel is about three times heavier than aluminum, while not offering any great advantage in strength.  Steel is magnetic.  Most mild steel used for rivets is heat treated, although there are some exceptions.  Most steel rivets will have some form of protective finish or coating when delivered from the mill (factory) to prevent corrosion.  Most steel for commercial applications will be plated zinc with a clear chromate.  Most steel for military or aerospace applications will be plated cadmium with a yellow chromate.  

Rivet Nuts:  A rivet nut is a form of internally threaded insert.  It is usually a heavy-duty form of threaded insert, with a thicker head and body, and class 3 threads, than most other threaded inserts.  To install a rivet nut, a special tool with a threaded stud engages the threads of the rivet nut and pulls upward.  This causes a portion of the body of the rivet nut to deform, and expand against the reverse side of the material being fastened, forming a secure, permanent joint, that a screw or bolt can be attached to.  Rivet nuts come in a variety of materials, in countersunk and protruding head styles, open end or closed end, and with or without an indexing key, which serves to keep the rivet nut from spinning in its joint.  Common uses include leg levelers in appliances, electronic cases, and to add attachments such as luggage racks to automobiles and components in boats, motorcycles, and RV’s.