Comprehensive Guide to Lockbolts
Rivmate Fastener
Top Rivet and Rivet Nut Manufacturer in China
Lockbolts are a high-strength blind fastener.Lockbolts provide superb strength and hold critical parts of heavy-duty applications well. This blog is the most comprehensive guide to lockbolts, so let’s take a look!
Table of Contents
What Are Lockbolts?
Lockbolts are a very widely used blind-hole fastener that is used in the heavy equipment, manufacturing and construction industries. Why are lockbolts becoming more popular? Because lockbolts are easier to install than traditional bolts, and the strength of the connection is very high. At the same time, lockbolts have the basic characteristics of blind rivets, including the ability to not loosen over time and excellent resistance to vibration.
Like traditional nuts and bolts, lockbolts are made up of two parts: 1. pin 2. collar. But they are mounted differently. While traditional bolt installation requires fixing both sides of the material, lockbotls can be installed directly by just using a lockbolt gun.
Overall, lockbolts can be categorized into two types. One type of lockbotls is needed to make the pin break and the other type is not.
1. Lockbotls without Separating Pins
Lockbolt rivets with unbroken pin tails of the same diameter can be riveted to a wider range of rivets. This type of lockbolt rivets is designed to replace traditional lockbolt rivets in a wide range of lengths.
Lockbolt rivets without split pin tails have no breaks in the pins, so the lockbolt rivets remain intact after installation. This type of lockbolt rivets has two distinct advantages:
- There are no excess rivet tails to dispose of after the installation is complete.
- There is no impact or loud noise when the rivets are separated.
Therefore, installing this type of lockbolt rivets will greatly increase the life of the lockbolt gun. Of course, the price of the lockbolt will also be higher.
2. Lockbotls for Separating Pins
Separate pin lockbolts were originally designed so that the pin would break off near the collar after installation was complete. This type of lockbolt rivets will have a break in the structural design so that when the lockbolt gun applies pressure to the collar, the end of the pin is very susceptible to breaking off and separating.
To make the break point of the lockbolt rivets easier to disconnect, the pin tails will be made narrower.
Pin end break lockbolt rivets generally possess two models, which are:
The main difference between C50L Lockbolt rivets and C6L Lockbolt rivets is the size of the rivet diameter. Lockbolt rivets ≤ 9.6mm are the C6L series and rivets > 9.6mm are the C50L series.
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Benfits of Lockbolts
Lockbolt rivets have many unique advantages over traditional bolts. In practical industrial applications, it has now become a standard fastener.
- Once installed successfully, lockbolt rivets form a permanent connection. There is no way to remove them without special tools. They are therefore extremely durable and tamper-proof.
- Lockbolt rivets are stronger and more robust than screw joints or rivets.
- In applications that require constant vibration, lockbolt rivets outlast other types of fasteners.
- Lockbolt rivets have superior shear strength and tensile strength than torque bolts and last longer.
- Lockbolt rivets are preferred over conventional bolts. They reduce labor and installation costs. The process of installing lockbolt rivets is very enjoyable. Without specialized training, you can train anyone to install lockbolt rivets in a matter of minutes and the process can be completed in seconds. This is a fraction of the time it takes to install traditional bolts.
- The success of the installation of lockbolt rivets can be judged directly with the naked eye.
Lockbolt rivets are available in a variety of sizes, lengths, materials and designs for different applications. Therefore lockbolt rivets are suitable for almost any application.
Lockbolt rivets are often used in heavy-duty applications and demanding applications due to their excellent vibration resistance and extra strength. The following are some of the areas where lockbolt rivets are often used.
Automobile Manufacturing
Lockbolt rivets have a large number of applications in transportation and automotive. These include chassis connections for trucks and trailers, suspension connections, frames and cabin assembly.
Lockbolt rivets are often used to connect chassis and frames, which are critical structural components in the manufacture of commercial vehicles, trucks and specialty vehicles. Lockbolt rivets remain stable even when the vehicle is traveling at high speeds and under severe road conditions.
Aerospace Manufacturing
In aerospace, the robustness and lightness of connections are crucial. Lockbolts are able to provide extremely high resistance to shear and tensile forces, ensuring that they do not loosen in flight. At the same time, the precision and stability of Lockbolts’ installation meets aerospace standards, making them ideal for structural connections in aircraft. You will often see lockbolt rivets in parts where there are strong vibrations and large temperature variations.
Railroad Industry
The railroad industry has extremely high requirements for durability and vibration resistance of fasteners, especially for high-speed trains and heavy wagons. And lockbolt rivets can be well satisfied. In the application of high-speed trains and heavy wagons, the anti-vibration and anti-fatigue characteristics of Lockbolts make it possible to maintain stability in long-term use and not easy to loosen. In addition, the corrosion resistance of Lockbolts is important in outdoor rail facilities, helping to extend fastener life.
Specific railroad applications for Lockbolt rivets include carriages, car undercarriages, wheel assemblies, and track sleeper fastening.
Heavy Equipment and Construction Machinery
Lockbolt rivets are often used on construction machinery. Such as excavators, bulldozers, cranes and other chassis, hydraulic systems, booms and so on.
Heavy equipment in the process of operation will produce high load impact and vibration, Lockbolts high tensile, shear resistance to ensure that the equipment components of the stable connection, can withstand high-intensity operating environment. Even in these high-intensity operating environments, Lockbolts are still not easy to loosen. This significantly reduces maintenance costs.
Solar Power
Solar power requires the use of a large amount of solar equipment. This equipment is often exposed to the natural environment and needs to withstand high temperatures and damage from heavy rainfall. Therefore, the fasteners used to fix the solar equipment need to have the characteristics of high strength, corrosion resistance and not easy to loosen. Lockbolt rivets provide an excellent solution for these industries.
Whether it is the fastening of tracking brackets or solar panels, lockbolts can be used.
Building and Steel Structure
Specific applications: steel bridge connections, beam and column connections in steel buildings, heavy support structures, etc.
Building steel structures require high load capacity and fatigue resistance of fasteners. Especially for bridge structures, which are subjected to natural environment for a long time, problems such as loosening of bolts may occur.Lockbolts provide highly stable fastening effect and excellent corrosion resistance, which makes it suitable for application in outdoor constructions such as bridges. In addition, Lockbolts are quick to install, greatly improving construction efficiency.
Rivmate - Leading Lockbolts Manufacturer in China
There are a number of rivet manufacturers that can produce lockbolt rivets, but the last two popular brands are Huck and Avdel, and Rivmate can produce all types of lockbolt rivets from these two brands.
Rivmate is a top rivet manufacturer in China, offering various types of rivets including lockbolt rivets.
The C6L Lockbolt is the original lockbolt rivets. over 50 years old to date. This lockbolt rivets is designed to provide superior, long-lasting performance with reduced rework and warranty costs.The C6L is available in aluminum, steel and stainless steel, in diameters ranging from 3/16inch to 3/8inch, with round, flat heads.
The C50L Lockbolt rivets are specifically designed for heavy duty applications. It is available in diameters ranging from 1/2inch to 3/8inch.Experiments have proven that C50L is stronger than C6L and is available in different types of rings such as standard, flanged, etc.C50L is mainly made of carbon steel.
How to Install Lockbolts?
Although lockbolt rivets come in different sizes and materials, the steps for installing them are the same.
- Selecting the right Lockbolt components: Select the appropriate length, diameter and material of Lockbolt for your application and make sure that the Lockbolt is sized to fit the thickness of the material to be joined and the environment in which it will be installed.
- Clean Holes and Surfaces: Prior to Lockbolt installation, ensure that the holes and surfaces of the material to be joined are free of oil, dust or contaminants.
- Preparation of Tools: Specialized hydraulic or pneumatic installation tools are usually required. Ensure that the tool is properly adjusted to apply the proper amount of tension to complete the installation.
- Inserting the Lockbolt: Insert the Lockbolt’s bolt (pin) into the connection hole, making sure the head of the Lockbolt fits flat against the surface to be connected.
- Placement of Lockbolt: Slide the special Lockbolt over the pinned portion of the Lockbolt, ensuring that the Lockbolt fits over the surface of the part to be joined. The Lockbolt needs to be accurately aligned with the threaded groove of the pin.
Next:
- Align Position: Check that the Lockbolt is fully embedded in the slot of the pin to ensure a smooth alignment. This step is very important, as inaccurate positioning of the locking ring will affect the tightening effect.
- Select the appropriate mounting tool: Usually a hydraulic or pneumatic mounting tool is used to apply the pulling force. The head of the installation tool should be aligned with the end of the Lockbolt pin to ensure that it grips the end of the pin.
- Apply Tension: Start the installation tool and apply even, sufficient tension to pull the pin through the lock ring. As the tool applies force, the Lockbolt’s pin will gradually tighten and the locking ring will be squeezed and embedded in the locking groove, creating a permanent lock.
- End Break: When the proper pulling force is reached, the end of the pin automatically breaks at the preset break point, leaving a flat surface. This means the installation is complete.
- Tightness check: Check that the head and locking ring of the Lockbolt are flat and fit tightly to the surface of the part to be connected to ensure that there is no looseness or gap.
Air Lockbolt Tool
Installing Lockbolt rivets is stressful, and there’s no way a normal installation tool can meet that stress intensity. A pneumatic lockbolt tool is an excellent alternative, and Rivmate has a specialized tool for installing lockbolt rivets – the H6065 Lockbolt Tool.
The Rivmate H6065 Lockbolt Tool is designed for use with 3/16 inch (5.0mm) and 1/4 inch (6.4mm) diameter lockbolt rivets.The H6065 is ergonomically designed for prolonged use and reduces operator fatigue.The H6065 is relatively lightweight at 2.9 The H6065 is relatively lightweight at 2.9kg and can provide a working tension of 28,000-39200N at 0.5 – 0.7 MPa air pressure.
The Best Way to Purchase Lockbolts
If your project and business requires the use of lockbolt rivets, or if you are sourcing lockbolt rivets, then what follows is essential to read carefully.
Rivmate has a complete library of lockbolt rivets specification sheets, catalogs and parts to help you get started with lockbolt rivets.Rivmate engineers can also provide you with lockbolt rivets solutions and technical support. Help you to understand the lockbolt rivets categories and parameters of attention.
In order to buy the best lockbolt rivets for your project, you need to know the parameters. For example:
- Size of pre-drilled holes
- Thickness of material to be joined
- Project requirements for shear and tensile strengths
- Requirements for corrosion resistance
- Requirements for vibration resistance
- Other customer requirements
The more you know about lockbolt rivets, the more you can pick the best lockbolt rivets for your business.For more information about lockbolt rivets, blind rivets and other streamlining, contact the experts at Rivmate. We are always here to help you.
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