What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Main wing spar doubler rivets over driven

Little Wing

Active Member
I have two adjacent top left main spar doubler rivets that are beyond milspec.
The first one is .055D and the second is .0625D with spec being .075-.105.
Their location is the 2nd and 3rd rivets outboard of the machined step where the doubler is thinnest.
I sent Vans the pictures and they say they only experience shear loads and to leave as it.
I do not feel content with these rivets. If I were to replace these 3/16 rivets would a 3x gun get the job done?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

3

3

3
 
3x

That's the one, a 3x. Or a really good 4x with a feathering trigger.
 
The wing spar is an incredible piece of art. Van, and his staff encompass a great deal of expertise. Follow their lead on this. IMHO
 
"Me too also." You'll most likely have some trouble drilling those rivets out perfectly and then you'll have a greater worry. I know because I built my own spars for the RV-6A and there were a couple of rivets I had to do over; not a fun experience.

Having said that, rather than a gun, get the reinforcement for the Avery 'C' tool and a 5# mallet. Not only is it cheaper but the mallet is easier to control. I found that it took 3 strikes to set the rivet and then maybe a couple of controlled taps to get the shop head to spec. Often the initial strikes got me in the zone but that was after doing a few; if you only have a couple then you may not get that feel. Then again, a rivet was missing from my RV-10 spars and Van's sent me a few and I set the rivet on the first try after not using the technique for years (my -6A wings were built in '95). You will want a second person to hold the spar in place and reposition it after each strike; it will jump after the blow. It sounds scary but it really is easy to drive rivets this way. The ones I had to drill out were not my beginning ones but later when I got a bit overconfident and tried to go too fast, landing the second strike before the spar was quite repositioned. One strike at a time; you are not a rivet gun.
 
At least on my RV-3B spars, the shop heads were all on the cap side, not the web side. Since the shear plane is between the caps and the web, the shop heads are relatively less important. Van's made the right call.

Dave
 
Thanks for the replies I will just build on. Just surprised that this made it out of the factory!
Like I said, I got a spar with a rivet missing. This might be a good time to make a reminder that it is up to us to inspect each and every part; don't just assume that it must be right because it is 'factory new'. Van's occasionally makes errors but in every case where it has been a real issue that I've heard of, they've taken care of it. My problems have been gentle so far; all that comes to mind is the missing rivet and two -L parts when there should have been a left AND a right (one of the parts was marked -R). When I sent a photo of that last one to Van's, they sent me a replacement part right away at cost. One of the reasons I like dealing with the company (the plane speaks for itself) is that I've generally had positive results with them when I've needed help.
 
Back
Top