Rivet nuts come in a wide selection of head and body styles with flat head style being the most popular in use. These provide a reliable anchoring point for almost all applications.
However, countersunk head and reduced head styles are also widely available. Reduced head style rivet nuts offer a minimal protrusion of the rivet nut head from the installation material whilst a countersunk head style can be used if you’re looking for a completely flush finish.
Body styles vary for rivet nuts, with round body rivet nuts being most common. These are found in either plain or serrated style. Serrated bodies are ideal for smaller sized rivet nuts in thin sheet materials where the serrations help to grip more firmly in softer materials such as aluminum. However, when set correctly plain bodied rivet nuts offer no degradation in performance over serrated bodied rivet nuts.
Half hex and full hex rivet nut bodies are also available offering high performance with the ability to resist turning. These must be installed into a hex hole which are cut into the substrate for installation.
Rivet nuts also come in two variations of end style – either open ended where the bolt can protrude through the rivet nut without obstruction, or a closed end type. Closed end type rivet nuts are ideal if you’re looking for a sealed end rivet nut, providing an effective option for the ingress of water.
A main strength of rivet nuts are that, just like with traditional rivets, they are blind. Meaning, these fasteners can be installed securely from one side of the work piece. No need to struggle to reach around the back of the bolt to fasten the material with a nut. Once the rivet nut is installed, fasten your material through the rivet nut with any compatible externally threaded fastener and you’re all set.
The rivet nut itself can be installed into a variety of a different materials including metal, plastic, fiberglass and carbon fiber. It is used in a wide array of applications in the automotive, heavy truck, and manufacturing industries as they move toward making their products both lightweight and easier to make. In your vehicle, there are likely dozens of rivet nuts for all of the reasons stated above.
If you’re looking for a fastener that provides fast installation at minimal cost a rivet nut is the ideal solution and can easily be installed by air rivet nut tooling or hand tooling.
