What does riveting mean?
Riveting is used in all types of construction with metal being the most common riveted material, although wood, clay and fabric are also used. But how did this tool get its name?
Well, we use this word as riveting two objects (usually metal) together is a simple and efficient way to create an almost permanent attachment. It’s even used outside of the construction world, like ‘when you’re riveted to something and unable to tear yourself away’.
Over time, the rivet method has become one of the strongest, most permanent ways to attach materials together. That’s why the Eiffel Tower in France, with a height of 1,063 ft and built using 18,000 pieces of steel, has all the pieces joined together using 2.5 million thermally assembled rivets. The use of rivets throughout history doesn't stop there, with the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the RMS Titanic all using them. In fact, 3 million rivets were used in the construction of the Titanic alone - 2 million of which were done by hand and the others using a hydraulic hammer.