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Riveting of the real F-15


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I just wonder is there any scheme or a map or something that depicts the extensive riveting of F-15. I can find only partial photos where are seen the rivets, but these photos cover only small areas of the plane. Thanks in advance if anyone can help in this (i admit - quite difficult) research. 

 

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It features acreages of quick release panels, and a lot screw fasteners.

 

More and more major components are being fabricated as large, single structures, reducing fastener counts by the thousands.

 

Fastener patterns therefore vary with mark and era. Your best bet is to study bare metal F-15s in factory assembly photos.

Like these...

http://aviationarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/factory-floor-f-15-photos.html

it'll take you to 38 photos

 

Tony

 

 

 

edited to add link

Edited by Tony T
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I just wonder is there any scheme or a map or something that depicts the extensive riveting of F-15. I can find only partial photos where are seen the rivets, but these photos cover only small areas of the plane. Thanks in advance if anyone can help in this (i admit - quite difficult) research.

Why would you want to rivet up an f-15? Just about all the rivets on the 15 are flush installed with a coat of prim and paint are not seen even if you are within a foot of the surface. What you do see is where the skin flexes around the rivers and fasteners while in flight making a gap were all the gunk on the interior of the skin cause streaking. Yes repairs in high stress areas or non Major aerodynamic surfaces have cherry max rivets in some cases but these will only be applied were paresite drag would not be detremental to the aerodynamic charecteristic on that surface. So if you are going for ultimate accuracy the rivets would be in invisible in any small scale with just aerodynamic streaking to tell you were they are located and that would not be on all rivets only the looser rivets that reflect the panel flex in flight.

Same would be with fasteners as these can be reflect using a metal coloured dote with paint as they actually depending on the frequency the panel or door are opened or removed.

For artistic license there are large areas on the 15 that are just skin with no rivets, especially in the top or better yet the bottom of the wing.

Enjoy

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Why would you want to rivet up an f-15? ...

 

Well, because it`s quite visible that the plane is "dotted" by rivets especially when viewed from close...

 

photo_1.jpg

 

f_15e_13_of_16.jpg

 

...and i think that these dots can be replicated only with gentle riveting to help the wash get in. There are "rivets" in different colors too :) All over the plane. I`m not familiar with the details about the rivets though. 1 logic: during the ODS period the planes saw a lot of tear and wear and the rivets were more visible; 2 logic: during the ODS period the planes were basically babies (produced just a few years before) and they were looking like new and the rivets were not visible at all; 3 logic: i`m not making difference between rivets and fasteners, so the rivets are really invisible and flush with the panels; 4 logic: rivets only in some areas of the plane are visible due to the irregular weathering of the plane surface while on ground. 

Indeed, i don`t know the behavior of the rivets, these are just my estimations. But the current amount of the rivets in the oob parts is just not enough :)

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Well, because it`s quite visible that the plane is "dotted" by rivets especially when viewed from close...

 

photo_1.jpg

 

f_15e_13_of_16.jpg

 

...and i think that these dots can be replicated only with gentle riveting to help the wash get in. There are "rivets" in different colors too :) All over the plane. I`m not familiar with the details about the rivets though. 1 logic: during the ODS period the planes saw a lot of tear and wear and the rivets were more visible; 2 logic: during the ODS period the planes were basically babies (produced just a few years before) and they were looking like new and the rivets were not visible at all; 3 logic: i`m not making difference between rivets and fasteners, so the rivets are really invisible and flush with the panels; 4 logic: rivets only in some areas of the plane are visible due to the irregular weathering of the plane surface while on ground. 

Indeed, i don`t know the behavior of the rivets, these are just my estimations. But the current amount of the rivets in the oob parts is just not enough :)

You need to differentiate between rivets and fasteners, if you look at the pictures the fasteners are are different colours. There are very few rivets showing through the paint, most are hi-torque and Milton fasteners (screws) used for mounting access panels and doors. The rivets in these pictures as on the real aircraft show through the paint by streaking not because they are recessed but around them from the skin shifting letting the internal gunk to flow in the slipstream along the aircraft skins surface. Yes rivets and fasteners are made out of different materials, this would depend on strength required and location. No magnetic fasteners and rivets would be used were the magnetic feature would disrupt the instrumentation, titanium rivets and fasteners would be used in panel high stress areas like the engine bay panels.

Some panels have over a hundred hi torque screws or fasteners, usually they would be around the edges depending on how they are attached to the underlying structure, stringers, formers and bulkheads. Fasteners can be reflected using dots of paint around the panels or structure. These would be noticeable from a distance, not the rivets. We would if we had the jet in phase inspection tighten up d-Zeus fasteners which were also flush mounted. Flush mounted fasteners were very important on high speed aircraft as the speed increases the parasite drag increases costing high levels of aerodynamic efficiency. There were allot of removable panels on the eagle and if I were to sit down could i could probably mark most down as to location and number of fasteners, spent more time on my jet than with my family, 20+ years. I can tell you for sure that if there is no gunk coming from the internal structure streaking the skins surface do to being loose or skin stretching you could be as close as inches not not see the rivet under the chromate prime and end coat camouflage paint!

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I didn`t expected that this topic will turn that interesting. So if i`m not mistaken - the red dots are rivets, and the green dots are fasteners?

 

dfvb.jpg

 

But on a "zoomed" photo i could suggest that they are just the same - only at some areas they are heavily worn and in other areas they are still with paint onto them.

 

photo_1.jpg

 

So - are these all fasteners? If yes - so the rivets are really invisible? Or the red ones are rivets and the green ones are fasteners?

 

Yesterday i searched for more info about the rivets in the modern planes and i find out that the rivet heads from the outer (the visible) part of the fuselage are deep into the panels and stay flush with the surface, even more - the heads are then filled with putty and somehow sanded to really visually disappear as much as possible. But this is for the rivets. From this logic - on the photo above - the green dots should be rivets too, but look like fasteners. Omgggg, i`m confused for something that i suppose is not that difficult. :huh:  :wacko:  

Edited by F`s are my favs
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Agreed,  what you can barely see IE only about 1 is the row of rivets running under your green arrow head left to right.

 

Flush is by the definition, flush, you countersink the hole, then the rivet is knocked down to be flush or milled flush.

Edited by TonyT
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