Workmanship Question

[WingedFrog]

I was pretty satisfied of the quality of my riveting on the Upper Hinge Assembly, until a fellow EAA member pinpointed the gap at the opposite side of the riveted area. Here is the picture:
http://tiny.cc/x3vcc
My question: is the gap shown acceptable or should I rework this part by removing all rivets?
Note that I am aware that the assembly needs some polishing on the side but it was deburred

[TOAD]

This is an easy fix and could cause clearance issues later not being uniform. I would just fix it whyle it is an easy thing to do. I find that there is almost always a reason I should have fixed something that was questionable ASAP. You may feel better about your work later. I will check all hinge brackets when I look at planes from now on

This is just a thought from a Toad to a Frog. Take it for what it is worth.

[terrykohler]

From the picture, it would appear what you see as a gap is just the chamfers from all the pieces. Normally, riveting a "sandwich" brings all of the pieces together because you're using compression to upset the rivet. At the worst, you may be looking at some deflection of the pieces caused by the squeezing itself. My suggestion - build on.
Terry, CFI
RV-9A N323TP

[scard]

Aside from the part fit, the edge deburring wouldn't pass my shop QC.

[jte65]

WingedFrog:

There have been a number of threads regarding these hinges. If I am seeing the gap you are describing, then this is not a riveting technique issue at all. These pieces are fairly thick so it is hard to get deflection from over-squeezing if you are using a hand-squeezer (although there are some other thin parts on the RV-12 where deflection can be a problem). Rather, a number of RV-12 builders have encountered problems with the bearings freezing after the brackets are riveted together. The typical problem is that the recess for the bearing is a bit too shallow. This causes two things- 1) it produces a gap similar to what you describe and 2) it compresses the bearing housing. I had to redo one of these brackets because the bearing would no longer spin after riveting and I am not the only one who has had to redo one of these! Some builders have filed the recess a bit so that the bearing seats a bit better. Of course, the trick is limiting how much you do this because you don't want the bearing housing to spin either.

Does your bearing spin freely right now?

One other thing I have noted on the RV-12 that is alluded to in one of posts above as well. Some of the thicker parts are not flat- always worth checking this and straightening them first.

Jeff

[JonJay]

Scott mentioned the deburring, but additionaly, mill marks should be polished out. This is very easy to do with a scotch brite wheel. Takes just a few seconds to get rid of.
If you can get your hands on AC43-13, or google it, there is a section in there that shows you the tolerance allowed under rivet heads and I believe between riveted parts. Maybe someone can paste that link in for you here or I might be able to later.

[joedallas]

Originally Posted by WingedFrog

I was pretty satisfied of the quality of my riveting on the Upper Hinge Assembly, until a fellow EAA member pinpointed the gap at the opposite side of the riveted area. Here is the picture:
http://tiny.cc/x3vcc
My question: is the gap shown acceptable or should I rework this part by removing all rivets?
Note that I am aware that the assembly needs some polishing on the side but it was deburred

Vieille Burette -Jean ? The riveting is probably fine.
When I cleco mine it looked the same
I put a very slight bend in the clips and re-clecoed and they came out fine.
see page 06_02 step 08 on my web site
Joe Dallas
www.joesrv12.com

[Bob Kuykendall]

Originally Posted by scard

Aside from the part fit, the edge deburring wouldn't pass my shop QC.

Same here. Notches in the edges of parts are where cracks like to start from. I'd have done a few passes with a file to take out the notches and deep scratches, and then a couple passes with sandpaper to take out the file marks.

[WingedFrog]

To be more specific based on some answers:
- The riveting is OK but I should have checked for this gap after clecoing and I did not
- The deburring is OK too but I agree that more aggressive polishing is needed
- The bearings roll freely on both hinges
- I can slide a sheet of paper in the gap, it will stop at the bearing housing. It looks like the gap starts with the upper half of the bearing.
My issue is: is this gap a potential hazard in the long run? I don't see why but I lack the experience so I'm willing to listen
Thanks

[joedallas]

Originally Posted by WingedFrog

To be more specific based on some answers:
- The riveting is OK but I should have checked for this gap after clecoing and I did not
- The deburring is OK too but I agree that more aggressive polishing is needed
- The bearings roll freely on both hinges
- I can slide a sheet of paper in the gap, it will stop at the bearing housing. It looks like the gap starts with the upper half of the bearing.
My issue is: is this gap a potential hazard in the long run? I don't see why but I lack the experience so I'm willing to listen
Thanks

Vieille Burette Stop beating your self up
When I checked the back of the clips with a straight edge there was a slight bend probably from bending the clip or punching or machining the bearing hole.

I assume it is tight at the rivet line

This will not affect the performance of the hinge
And painting will hide most of the gap.

Joe Dallas
www.joesrv12.com