sorry if this is repetitive in any way...

but just what the hell is a rivnut and how does it work? is "rivnut" its real name or is it just diy jargon?
i can deduce by the name that they are rivets which have nuts to bolt them down? are rivnuts removable and reusable? where should i use a rivnut instead of a rivet?

thanks!

A rivnut is basically a captive thread which is secured in much the same way as a rivet. You drill a hole, insert the rivnut and use a rivnut tool to compress it which holds it in place. Like they say, a picture paints a thousand words so I'll go and look for one............

and look at:
http://www.zygology.com/images/others/7486.pdf

[Edited on 28/3/06 by ned]

A rivnut is a sort of cross between a rivet and a nut. I guess there is a trade name for them but I don't care what.

Rivnuts are sort of top hat shaped. The cylinder bit goes in a hole that you have drilled and the flanged rim stops it falling all the way through. The other end of the cylinder from the flange is threaded. A special tool screws into these threads and pulls them toward the flanged rim. the metal buckes and clamps the part with the hole like a rivet. You then unscrew the tool and you have a threaded crimped insert that you can bolt things to. It is in effect a nut that you can rivet to a thin sheet - a rivnut.

They sometimes come a bit loose making it difficult to unscrew the bolt but a bit of glue can solve this.

Have a look on 20th November. Shows you how they work.

Rivnuts

see here for an animation:
http: //www.zygology.com/products/how_work.asp?working_diagram_link=http://www.avdel.textron.com/products/images/39006.swf&submit=Search

and yet more info:
http://www.zygology.com/products/tier3.asp?search_ID=Steel%20Nutserts

[Edited on 28/3/06 by ned]

Engineers where I work call them Clinch nuts.

so for example, if i were to want to bolt the nose cone to the chassis, i cant use a normal bolt, but a rivnut will be better? so just drilling a hole in the chassis and screwing in a bolt will not do the job?

thanks for the info!

quote:

---

Originally posted by ned
see here for an animation:
http: //www.zygology.com/products/how_work.asp?working_diagram_link=http://www.avdel.textron.com/products/images/39006.swf&submit=Search

and yet more info:
http://www.zygology.com/products/tier3.asp?search_ID=Steel%20Nutserts

[Edited on 28/3/06 by ned]

---

yup, nutserts is another alias, whichever way you look at it i suppose..

Ned.

quote:

---

so just drilling a hole in the chassis and screwing in a bolt will not do the job?

---

Personally, I'd use dezeus fasteners to attach a nose cone. Nice flush fitting things. Doing it with a bolt could mean you need loads of extra ugly bolt covers where you least want them.

quote:

---

Originally posted by piddy
Engineers where I work call them Clinch nuts.

---