Riv-bonding is a hybrid joining technique which combines self-piercing riveting with adhesive bonding. Compared to joints made only with rivets, riv-bonding offers additional benefits:
- continuous joint instead of point joint
- higher strength (generally)
- increased joint stiffness
- leak-tight joint
Usually, the adhesive (in film or paste form) is applied to the joint and then the
rivet is set. The presence of adhesive does not change the basic setting operation, although it may have some influence on the setting parameters required and the load-displacement characteristics monitored during setting. Curing of the adhesive normally follows setting of the rivet.
There are, however, some disadvantages to adding an adhesive and these may need to be taken into consideration:
- longer processing times compared with self-piercing riveting alone
- problems with contamination of the riveting tooling, e.g. blocking the die
- component surface preparation procedures may be required to ensure consistently acceptable bond quality and durability
- inhomogeneous adhesive distribution results from localised pressure caused by the riveting operation
In cases where adhesive bonding is the primary joining method, self-piercing riveting can be a convenient method of holding components during curing, removing the need for additional jigging.