ITE

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION
No.: 100VV-TD-ITE-FA0002 Date: 17 giu 2020 Rev.: 00
STRUCTURAL BUILDING
DESIGN
How to manage rivet nuts choice, assembly and CALCULATION PHYSICS
Title: Discipline:
control MATERIAL QA/QC HS&E

ABSTRACT
This technical instruction applies to all projects that envisage the use of rivet nuts, whether assembled by
Permasteelisa or by suppliers, and defines the precautions that shall be followed to guarantee their proper
management in terms of:
- choice and purchasing;
- initial qualification of assembly process;
- quality control of assembly process.
NOTE
Choice and purchasing of rivet nuts

 The available rivet nuts on the market differ for geometric and functional parameters; the variables depend
also on the sheet where rivet nuts will be assembled:
− rivet nut characteristics are: limit tensile stress and tightening torque, diameter, material, checkering,
head (plan or countersunk), bottom (blind or passing);
− sheet characteristics are: material, thickness.
During design phase these parameters shall be properly defined according to project requirements.
 Specific rivet nuts codes from manufacturers’ catalogs shall be communicated from Design to Procurement
in order to proceed with their purchasing; this indication shall be provided through the product identification
code, referring to manufacturer (Böllhoff and Würth shall be considered as first choices) and to the main
product characteristics (clamping thickness range, diameter, material).
With the aim of optimizing time and costs, Procurement might identify equivalent products from different
manufacturers: these alternatives shall be submitted to Design and ENG for approval before proceeding
with their purchase.
 In order to reduce the risk of buying the same rivet nuts from different manufacturers, Design shall also
minimize the purchase lots requests for a single project.
 It is highly recommended to purchase rivet nuts exclusively by direct manufacturers or suppliers rather than
through indirect retailers; in any case, clear details shall be provided for identifying the proper parts.
 The supplier shall provide the technical data of all the delivered rivet nuts codes (e.g. through labels applied
on their boxes or through dedicated documents) to allow Permasteelisa verifying that the received products
correspond to those which had been requested.

Initial qualification of assembly process

 Assembly equipment set-up procedure: the rivet assembly shall only be performed after proper tool
regulation; this depends not only on the type of riveting machine (strength-regulated or stroke-regulated)
but also on the type of rivets (even in case of same sheet thickness and rivet diameters, equivalent products
from different manufacturers might require different tooling settings).
 Testing equipment availability: rivet nuts extractor, torque wrench.
 Initial process validation: once the set-up procedure has been completed, the initial tests shall be performed
to verify the rivet assembly through visual control (ring adhesion to the lower side of the sheet) and
instrumental control (tensile load and tightening torque).

Visual comparison between satisfactory (left) and not-satisfactory (right) ring adhesion

Form: 100VV-TD-ITE rev.00 dated 05 Oct 2017

Prepared by: C. Bergamin Checked by: G. Manara Approved by: P. Quaia

File: 100VV-TD-ITE-FA0002-00 _ Rivet nuts Page 1 / 2
 ITE

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION
Tensile load and tightening torque values shall be defined by Design since early stages: process
qualification procedures and quality control parameters depend on these values, as the tests will be carried
out by factorizing the design loads with an appropriate load coefficient.

Quality control of assembly process

 Once process has been qualified, massive installation of rivet nuts can proceed but it must be monitored
through dedicated control procedures; Annex 1 provides an example of control plan suitable both for
Permasteelisa or suppliers.
 In case of rivet nuts assembled by the supplier, a specific inspections plan shall be put in place to
supplement its standard control plan.
ACTION
PDM, PE
Identify the rivet nuts that shall be used according to project specifications.
Clearly and unequivocally communicate to Procurement the rivet nuts that shall be purchased in terms of
characteristics, reference codes and preferable manufacturer.
Once the purchased rivet codes are confirmed by Procurement, communicate to PQM their functional and
geometrical characteristics.
Clearly indicate the codes of river nuts on fabrication drawings.

BUYER
Issue orders for the rivet nuts indicated by PDM, or for equivalent products only after these have been thoroughly
verified with PDM and ENG.

PQM
Define process validation procedure and production control plan.
When rivet nuts are assembled by a supplier, define an inspection check-list for supplier quality inspections.

Form: 100VV-TD-ITE rev.00 dated 05 Oct 2017

Prepared by: C. Bergamin Checked by: G. Manara Approved by: P. Quaia

File: 100VV-TD-ITE-FA0002-00 _ Rivet nuts Page 2 / 2
 QUALITY CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Annex 1
RIVET NUTS

# Control Equipment / reference Frequency Record

Incoming inspections

Verify that the received rivet nuts correspond to the Rivet nuts technical data At each material delivery, one
1 /
ordered codes. sheet / box label part per received code

Assembly line

For each sheet where rivet nuts

2 Verify the sheet thickness. Sheet fabrication drawing /
will be assembled

Before assembling the rivet nut, verify its correctness Rivet nut technical data
3 For each rivet nut /
according to material, diameter and sheet thickness. sheet

QCR
Verify the proper regulation of the riveting machine,
Visual control on the rivet nut
according to diameter and sheet thickness, by assembling For each rivet nut code, at the
4 assembled on the sample After assembling the rivet nut on the
a nut in a sample sheet having same thickness and holes beginning of each shift
sheet sample sheet, write date and time next to
diameter.
the hole

On the rivet nuts assembled on production sheet verify the

Torque wrench
5 closing torque by tightening the nut according to project
Project specifications
specifications values. QCR
For each rivet nut code, one
control at each half shift After testing the rivet nuts, when results
On the rivet nuts assembled on production sheet verify the are compliant write “C” next to the hole
Rivet nuts extractor
5 tensile stress by performing tensile test according to
Project specifications
project specification values.

REV. DATE Prepared by PQM Checked by QM Approved by PM