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Although blind rivets have been in use for numerous years, question still arise, from time to time, as to why they are used, the advantages and disadvantages of using them, and how to design and specify them, This article is intended to answer these question and to inform designers and engineers that blind rivets are one of the most cost effective, easiest methods of joining general application attachments on the market today. The rivet user is free from concerns, in his approach to his joint design, about space for holding tools, secondly parts (i.e., nuts, etc.), anti –rotation problems, and tool clearances. The rivet is installed from one side only, hence the name “blind.” There are rivet-like fasteners with locking rings with two-sided access required but these specials will not be discussed here in this general rivet article. They are special parts for special applications and the meat for another article.

The rivets assembly consists of two parts: the rivet body, called an “eyelet” and the mandrel or “nail” gripped by the jaws of the setting tool, the mandrel is drawn into the body of the rivet, which is expanded and drawn into a tight clinch against the back side (the blind side) of the work piece. When the assembly is tight enough, the mandrel breaks off at a predetermined tension and falls away. The result is a strong, vibration resistant fastening.

• Improved Product Design: As the rivets are installed from one side only, the need for access to both sides of work is eliminated. No more required space for tooling clearance, holding tools, and other “back side” fixture.
• Improved Design Strength: The use of only a single, drilled or punched hole, filled effectively by an expandable, high shear strength rivet, offers a great increase in part design strength over screw/bold with u-nut designs. The u-nut designs require cutouts for the nut installation and much larger screw holes for alignment and clearance. Where u-nuts are used near edges, the location of the large clearance hole is often not convenient to best design and may even cause a stress riser is some cases. Quicker Assembly: Blind riveting is faster than any other joining method. Automatic feeding can deliver and set as many as 50 rivets per minute. Automatic, multiple set systems are used in some areas to set as many as 20 rivets at a time. The Ability to set blind rivets without the need for access at the back of the work makes their use mandatory in many instances.
• Low in Place Costs - Real or "in place" costs are often lower than those of other fasteners because of their speed and ease of application.
• Fast Assembly - Because blind rivets can be set in seconds Literally.
• Low-Cost, Lightweight, Easily Portable Tools - Manual or power tools are easy to take to the work place, reduce operator fatigue, and minimize capital expenditure.
• Strong, Reliable Fastenings, Independent of Operator Skills - Blind rivets don't torque out like threaded fasteners, wasting time and material. Correct setting pressure is predetermined by the breaking point designed into the mandrel. So you get uniformly strong, reliable fastenings the first time - all the time.
• Vibration-proof assembly - Blind rivets won't back out or vibrate loose and fall out like threaded fasteners. You eliminate costly call-backs due to faulty fastenings.
• No Surface Marring -  Setting tool won't slip and mar polished or finely finished surfaces. No dents, dimpling, or wrench marks.
• Exception Versatility - Blind rivets hold Securely in thin or thick, soft or hard materials, ideal for dissimilar materials, first choice for plastics and other easily damaged components.
• High Grip and Pull-Up Strengths -  A blind rivet draws parts together, even when a gap exists between parts.
• Tamperproof -  Ideal for public transportation and other public facilities where tampering and vandalism are problems. Excellent for fastening limited-access panels; authorized personnel with correct equipment easily drill out blind rivets and replace in seconds. Increased Design Flexibility - Setting without need for access at back, minimum backup space requirements, versatility, and neat appearance are just a few of the blind rivet attributes that contribute to design flexibility and improve the quality of the finished product. 

Rivets expand when set filling and plugging holes from intrusion of water, fumes, etc. Usages are common throughout the industry with floor pan drain holes, air conditioning ducts, and engine compartment applications being the more common location for rivet plugging.

• Vibration Resistance: Rivets do not loosen, shake out, or back-off as screws and bolts do. As they fill the hole completely and tightly, no possibility of side to side slippage loosening can exist. Locking devices, thread adhesives, and lock washers are unnecessary.
• Over comes Mismatches: Rivets can be selected to overcome poor hole alignment and oversized holes. Since they hold by expansion inside the hole, irregularities can be compensated for during installation. It should be noted that not all rivets are capable of filling over sized holes and, generally, rivets require some control of hole dimensions for proper fit.

The same study showed a considerable piece part savings when using rivets over other combination's. The price for a standard usage, high volume blind rivet averaged 0.6 cents each. The cost of the highest usage (hence cheapest) u-nut was about 0.8 cents each, which, when added to a standard screw of 1 cent each, was a bit of an increase. When considering that corrosion requirements may demand some special coating for screw and u-nut, which cost as much as 3-4 cents each, the price question is not one worth addressing. Lower Inventory Cost: Because rivets have wide grip ranges and are single item attachment parts, inventory cost savings are significant. Varying lengths of screws, grip range limitations on u-nuts, throat depths on u-nuts, washer and non-washer configuration of bolts, etc., all add up to large part inventories.

Because rivets have wide grip ranges and are single item attachment parts, inventory cost savings are significant. Varying lengths of screws, grip range limitations on u-nuts, throat depths on u-nuts, washer and non-washer configuration of bolts, etc., all add up to large part inventories. Higher volumes of fewer parts, on the other hand, add up to dollars saved in not only piece part savings but in warehousing, labor, handling, and assembly line costs for stocking, purchasing, and so on. Effective Fastening of Dissimilar Materials: The controlled expansion of rivets provided uniform compression, which in turn, allows many types of dissimilar materials to be effectively joined. Metal to plastic, plastic to plastic, glass to metal, and paper to metal, are just a few of the possibilities. Various design features of some types of rivets allow for maximum load spreading for joining even the softest of material.

Because riveting is a simple process, tooling can be designed to fit the application rather than making the design fit the tooling as most bolted and other types of joints require today. Special nose pieces fit narrow spaces, deep holes and crevices, and even right angle applications. The installation tools may be manual (for cheap service and field fixes), electric, air or hydraulic driving. The basic tool may cost from under $25 for a hand tool to several hundreds for special configurations. Maintenance costs on rivet guns are much less than conventional tooling used for fastening online. Lower Installed costs: Adding up the lower tool costs. Maintenance costs, and labor savings, rivets are shown to be cheaper “In place” attachments. A cost comparison done several years ago showed a differential of 2 cents per joint for using a screw and u- nut over a blind rivets.These have great range such as grooved type blind rivets, aluminium blind rivets, steel blind rivets, stainless steel blind rivets, plier type hand riveter, peel type blind rivets, lever type hand riveter, self clinching nuts, self clinching studs etc.