Messerschmitt rivets

[airmac]

Re Rivet sizes. The English rivet sizes, Spitfire etc were; 1/16", 3/32", 1/8", 5/32",3/16" and 1/4" shank diameter, there were many different shaped heads used, the head shape and size being a ratio of the shank Dia. shank dia being dependent on the thickness of the materials ie, 20 SWG sheet would normally be 1/8" rivets thicker materials needing larger dias.

[Graham Boak]

I was only a mere aerodynamicist, but I was a little surprised at the comments about the rivet head being only to hold the parts together. That is precisely the point of the rivets, they work in tension. As I understand it, a sheet of metal is at its strongest when there are no rivet holes, particularly counter-sunk ones; so a wider-shanked rivet is a bad idea, not a good one. However, that a wider shank is needed for thicker parts makes sense. So the ideal design will have a range of rivet sizes, tailored to the parts concerned. As we appear to have in the cases studied.