PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Boeing in 'safety cover-up' - Documentary on Al Jazeera
Old 27th December 2010 | 15:51
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glhcarl
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 454
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From: Georgia, USA
Barit1: The one I like was told of Lockheed Constellation manufacture. A KLM rep gigged a mis-driven 1/8" flush rivet in a skin panel, and insisted it be drilled out. The assembler knew that this would result in an oversize hole, requiring (per KLM spec) that the skin panel be replaced.

But Lockheed had their own rivet shop, and they made (under the table) 5/32" rivets with the same head profile as a 1/8" rivet. Indistinguishable from its 1/8" neighbors, once driven!
That's a great story, even though its authenticity can not be verified!

However, Lockheed does use rivets of its own design. An 1/8" rivet has a 3/32" rivet head, a 3/16" rivet has a 5/32" rivet head and so on. The smaller heads means less material is removed when counter sinking for better structural strength and the smaller heads help keep weight to a minimum.

Maybe it worked so will on the KLM Connie that Lockheed made it standard.
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