Rivet Removal Procedure

As with all maintenance tasks on aircraft, the procedure for removing solid rivets will be detailed in the AMM. The following procedure explains a basic method of rivet removal:

• The centre of the manufactured rivet head is carefully marked with a centre punch.
• Using a twist drill the same size as the rivet shank diameter, the rivet is drilled to the depth of the head.
• The head is carefully removed with a flat chisel or is prised out with a pin punch.
• The remaining shank is then punched out with a parallel pin punch of the same diameter as the rivet shank.

An alternate method, occasionally used by some manufacturers, is to drill the tail of the rivet off first and remove the remaining shank from the opposite end.

Care needs to be taken during rivet removal, to ensure that the least possible damage is done to the original hole and its surrounding structure.

When removing rivets from bonded assemblies it is essential not to apply shear loads, which are liable to part the bond.