Tri Fold Rivets vs Bulb Tite Rivets: What's the Difference
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Table of Contents
Tri fold rivets and bulb tite rivets are both blind rivets often used for soft materials. So do you know the difference of tri fold rivets and bulb tite rivets? This article will be centered on “tri fold rivets vs bulb tite rivets” to introduce these two types of rivets to you in detail.
Through this guide, you will learn how to choose the best rivets for your project.
Table of Contents
Tri fold rivets are an all aluminum slotted standard rivet. It provides a large riveting area and works well for light applications and soft materials.
The special design of the Tri fold rivets tail prevents it from damaging the surface of the base material when riveted to it.
Pros and Cons of Tri Fold Rivets
Tri-Fold Rivets are rivets designed to protect soft, brittle or thin-walled materials. It excels in dynamic loading and heterogeneous material joining due to its large contact area and high clamping force. Here are some of the key advantages and disadvantages of tri fold rivets.
Pros of Tri Fold Rivets
Good protection for soft or brittle materials: Tri fold blind rivets provide a large contact area. And the flexible extension reduces compression of the material. Therefore, the use of tri fold rivets for joining soft materials reduces the risk of cracks, pull-throughs and deformations.
Cons of Tri Fold Rivets
- Limited strength: Tri fold rivets are excellent for clamping, but have limited rivet tensile strength and rivet shear strength.
- Takes up more space on the backside: the extended deformation of the tail requires a certain amount of backside
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What is a Bulb Tite Rivet?
Bulb tite rivets are a special design of blind rivets. It is designed for connections that require sealing, waterproofing and high clamping force.Bulb tite blind rivets form a large “bulb-like” tail extension when installed. This tail design provides a large contact area and clamping force.
Bulb tite blind rivets are typically used with a sealing gasket (rubber or nylon). In practice, it ensures that water, gas or other fluids cannot leak through the connection point. As a result, bulb tite blind rivets are used in a wide range of applications where waterproof, dustproof, and high-strength connections are required. Such as building curtain walls, marine equipment, vehicles and industrial facilities.
Pros and Cons of Bulb Tite Rivets
Bulb tite blind rivets offer some advantages that other blind rivets do not. Of course there are some disadvantages as well. Here are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of bulb tite blind rivets.
Pros of Bulb Tite Rivets
- Large contact area: the contact area between Bulb tite rivets and the material being joined is large. It can effectively disperse the pressure on the base material and avoid excessive localized stress. Reduces the risk of deformation or pull-through in soft materials (e.g. plastics, composites) or thin-walled materials (e.g. aluminum plates, thin steel plates).
- High clamping force: Although bulb titie rivets are inherently lightweight, they provide a stable and strong connection, which is particularly suited to dynamically loaded or vibrating environments.
- High tolerance of bore errors: the tail extension compensates for a certain range of bore errors. Stable connection even with low precision hole machining.
- Waterproof sealing available: Bulb tite blind rivets are very waterproof. It is the best waterproof rivet type in the Blind Rivet series.
Cons of Bulb Tite Rivets
- Limited Strength: Although the clamping force is high, the tensile and shear strengths are not as high as some specialized high-strength rivets.
- Higher cost: Bulb tite blind rivets have particularly good performance, but the unit price is usually higher than ordinary blind rivets.
- Not suitable for high-temperature environments: may lose strength or sealing in high-temperature environments.
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Tri Fold Rivets vs Bulb Tite Rivets: What's the Difference
| Comparison Aspect | Tri-Fold Rivet | Bulb-Tite Rivet |
| Tail Shape | Forms three evenly distributed folds, creating a tri-fold structure. | Forms a bulb-shaped tail expansion, evenly covering the hole. |
| Contact Area | Relatively large, but distributed over three points for localized support of soft or brittle materials. | Larger contact area, with bulb-shaped expansion providing broad support and high clamping force. |
| Design Purpose | Protects soft, brittle, or thin materials, reducing pull-through or deformation risks. | Provides high clamping force and broad support, ideal for stable connections in vibration-prone or soft material applications. |
| Sealing Capability | No sealing function; mainly for general-purpose applications. | Some models include sealing features to prevent water, air, dust, or other substances from penetrating. |
| Tensile Strength | Lower tensile strength, suitable for medium to low load applications. | Higher tensile strength, suitable for medium to high load applications. |
| Applicable Materials | Ideal for soft, brittle, or thin materials such as plastics, composites, and aluminum sheets. | Broader applicability, including metals, plastics, composites, and perforated materials. |
| Post-Installation Shape | Compact tri-fold tail, occupying less backside space. | Bulb-shaped tail occupies more backside space, better for thicker materials or larger holes. |
| Dynamic Load Performance | Suitable for light to moderate dynamic loads; good vibration resistance. | Superior performance, suitable for higher dynamic loads and vibration-prone environments. |
| Applications | Used in scenarios requiring material protection, such as home appliance housings, automotive interiors, and lightweight electronic device connections. | Used in high-clamping force or waterproof applications, such as building facades, industrial equipment, ships, and vehicles. |
Conclusion
Tri-Fold Rivet:
- Advantages: large contact area to protect parent material; suitable for soft and brittle materials; lower cost, compact installation.
- Disadvantages: limited tensile and shear strength; lacks sealing properties; high hole processing requirements.
Bulb-Tite Rivet:
- Pros: bulb-shaped extensions provide full support; high clamping force; watertight seals on some models; accommodates high vibration and dynamic loads.
- Cons: Higher cost; takes up more back space; complex design.
The selection should be based on a comprehensive evaluation of material properties, load requirements, sealing needs and budget.
How to Recognize Tri-fold Rivets and Bulb Tite Rivets?
Visually, we can recognize tri fold rivets and bulb tite rivets in three ways.
- Top of rivet body: Tri fold rivets have a dome head on top of the rivet body; while bulb tite rivets have a tapered head on top of the rivet body.
- Washer: Bulb tite rivets have a washer, while tri fold rivets do not.
- Rivet Mandrel: bulb tite rivets require a rubbing; tri fold rivets do not.
How to Choose Tri Fold Rivets or Bulb Tite Rivets?
Choose Tri-Fold Blind Rivets:
If your project needs to protect the base material, minimize material damage, and the application scenario does not require high strength and sealing performance (e.g., appliance housings, lightweight decorative panels). Then tri fold blind rivets are best suited for your project
Choose Bulb-Tite Rivets:
If high clamping force, waterproof performance or exposure to high vibration and dynamic loads is required (e.g., architectural curtain walls, marine equipment). Then bulb tite blind rivets is most suitable for your project.
Do you Ship Bulb Tite Rivets and Tri Fold Rivets in the US?
Of course, we have customers all over the world! Our factory has rich experience in international trade, no matter what country you are in, you can get rivet products from Rivmate.
Wholesale Tri Fold Rivets or Bulb Tite Rivets from Factory
By reading this guide, it is obvious that bulb tite rivets have a much better fastening strength.Bulb tite rivets have excellent strength and great water resistance. Do you need a professional riveting solution? Please feel free to contact us!
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We are proud to be one of the top 3 blind rivet manufacturers in China, and our factory is specialized in customized rivets.
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