Message-ID: <3B69B493.A89C022F@rkymtnhi.com>
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 14:14:11 -0600
From: Builder's Bookstore <winterland@rkymtnhi.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Subject: Re: Riveting through fibreglass
References: <002901c11b76$5943f000$1777e640@default>
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Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com

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>
> I want to rivet a strip of Al along the inside of my cowl.  I will also glue
> it but I feel the need to have it well secured.  To this end I will use
> 5/32" countersunk head rivets.  I will also reinforce the inside edge of the
> cowl, where the aluminum will be fastened,with two 3" widths of
> bidirectional carbon fibre.

This is what RV pilots do on several glass fairings, most notably the wing and
empennage tips.  Cut a long strip of .032 aluminum and temporarily attach it the
back of the glass piece along your rivet line with c-clamps. Then drill your
holes through both pieces at once, replacing the c-clamps with clecoes as you
go.  Then, once you've cleaned out and deburred the holes, glue it back on
permanently with ProSeal.  (do you guys use ProSeal; nasty stuff but works
well)  This way the shop heads of your rivets will be set against stiff metal
rather than the glass which would work loose after time.

When you are ready to rivet, countersink the glass so that the rivets are
flush.  There is no reason for them to be sticking out at all.  I would only
"thicken the fiberglass if your countersinking would be so deep as to seriously
compromise the strength of the remaining glass.  I don't have a number for you,
but I think as a rule of thumb, I'd want at least half the thickness of the
glass remaining untouched after you've countersunk.  If you do a reasonable job
riveting and drill a clean hole of correct size, I don't know of any need to
glue in the rivet.

An RV's cowls are attached to each other and to the fuselage with piano hinge.
This serves the same purpose of being able to buck the rivet against metal, not
glass.  Those hinges are installed the same way and are typically trouble free.

Andy
RV-6A  -  flying
LML Bookstore
http://buildersbooks.com/lancair

eCharts
http://eCharts.cc

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