Thursday, October 14, 2010

Rivet Components to Seat Bulkhead

This morning I spent time using the rivet squeezer and the pneumatic rivet puller to install components on the Seat Bulkhead.  I used the squeezer to set the rivets on the bulkhead end doubler angles.  I did this on both ends of the bulkhead.
Next I clecoed the control column brackets in place and installed the nut plates at the top of the brackets.  Because of the close proximity of the work space I inserted the first flush head rivet and then clamped the nutplate in place with a hemostat before removing the cleco.  I had to take the cleco out before I could squeeze the first rivet.  With the nutplate held in place with the hemostat I was able to squeeze both rivets.  I install all 4-nutplates in this fashion.  Then I pulled the LP4-3 rivets attaching the brackets to the bulkhead.
I then installed the nutplates to the top flanges of the control column brackets.  The next step was to rivet the doublers at the control stick holes in the bulkhead.  These doublers are installed using both LP4-3 pulled rivets and AN470AD4-4 squeezed rivets.
I installed the 17 nutplates on the aft side of the bulkhead.  Four of the rivets were installed with pulled blind rivets.  Thirteen nutplates were installed using squeezed rivets.  After riveting the nutplates to the bulkhead I clecoed the bulkhead to the seat ribs and floor supports. 

I riveted the bulkhead to the ribs using the CS4-4 and LP4-3 pulled rivets called for.
 I prepped the seat floors for each side.  I dimpled the various holes for the nutplates and flush rivets as called out on the drawings.  I also final drilled to ½" the forward holes in the seat floors.  
Then I riveted the floors in place.  A set the step ribs and bulkhead in place to see how the fuselage is shaping up.  It appears we are making progress.