...second part...
The Achilles heel of pop rivets is their lack of mandrel retention. The
majority of their shear strength is derived from the mandrel stub that
remains in the rivet after the stem (mandrel) breaks off. Ordinary pop
rivets will allow the mandrel to fall out under vibration and this seriously
weakens its shear strength. (Never depend on a rivet for anything but shear
applications.)
A more advanced variation is the AVEX rivet; it retains the mandrel fairly
well and allows a larger grip range than ordinary. These are "semi-
structural" rivets, made with an aluminum rivet body and a steel mandrel.
They work well and are not too expensive.
True structural blind rivets are very expensive but also very reliable. An
example of this type is the CherryMAX rivet. Similar ones are also made by
Huck and All-Fast. These rivets are made for high vibration and have a
positively- locked mandrel. You can find them on eBay sometimes
(aluminum/aluminum, aluminum/steel, titanium, or Monel) but be aware that
some are made for repair service and those are "oversize"; made to fit in a
hole drilled larger after the original rivet is removed. The downside of
these very nice rivets is that they require a special pulling tool; ordinary
pop rivet pullers won't lock the mandrels in place reliably.
I hope this helps clear up some questions about pop rivets.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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