In this second part, we will tell you some outer elements that will affect your choice for blind rivet:

Desired joint thickness – There are occasions when the thickness of the joint may vary, such as when you are joining different materials, when dealing with curved surfaces, or when pre-drilled holes may be difficult to align. For these applications, you may want a multi-grip rivet with a wider grip range to accommodate the variable joint thickness.

Desired joint strength – The strength of the joint is determined by both the tensile strength and the shear strength of the blind rivet. When choosing the rivet size, you want to make sure the material and diameter are sufficient to withstand the load along the length of the joint, i.e., it has enough tensile strength. You also want to be sure that if the two parts of the joint material try to slide apart, the rivet has sufficient shear strength that it won’t break. For example, heavy-duty applications, such as railway cars, mining equipment, and agricultural equipment, require stronger joints.

Match the materials – A final and vital consideration is matching the blind rivet size to the materials being fastened together. If you are fastening hard and soft materials together, for example, the head sizes need to match the materials; you can use a smaller head for the harder materials but may need a larger head for the soft side. Sometimes you can use grooved rivets, which have rings that expand and will bite into materials such as wood or plastic when tightened. You also may want to use T-Lok or peel-type rivets that peel into three or four legs on the blind side to create a strong bind that won’t pull through software materials.