When should peel rivets be used in flat roofing applications?

Aluminium peel rivets are designed for securing insulation and/or membrane in flat roofing applications where the substrate is not of sufficient thickness or quality to fix into using a threaded fastener. They are typically used for refurbishment projects where you need to fix into substrates such as plywood deck less than 18mm deep, woodwall slab between 50 and 70mm thick, steel less than 0.7mm thick or thin aluminium.

If threaded fasteners are used to fix into these substrates, they would not provide adequate performance under wind loading, causing the roof to fail.

How do peel rivets work?

As the rivet is set the mandrel head cuts the body of the rivet into four peels or petals, which curl up making a bulb on the underside of the substrate. This creates the bearing strength against the deck.

How do I install peel rivets?

Drill a 7mm hole perpendicular to the substrate through the entire build-up, including any waterproofing, insulation, and the substrate. Insert the body of the peel rivet through a suitable load spreading pressure plate and into the pre-drilled hole.

Once the rivet is in position, it needs to be set using either a cordless riveter or a manual tool, such as a lazy tong riveter or long arm riveter. Once the correct pressure has been achieved the mandrel breaks off leaving the rivet in place.