VIBRATION EXPOSURE FROM BUCKING BARS DURING PERCUSSIVE RIVETING IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

Abstract

A study was done on several bucking bars used during percussive riveting. First, a Simulink model was developed in order to predict a bucking bar’s behavior. The user can specify the gun input, the rivet type, the bucking bar’s mass, spring rate, and its damping coefficient. The simulation was able to predict the bucking bar’s displacement with a RMSD = 7.74%. Second, a spring-damper bucking bar handle was developed in order to absorb vibrations and isolate the operators from being exposed to high magnitude vibration. Third, 2 Boeing mechanics used 5 different bucking bar handles in order to install rivets on a test bench developed at the Boeing Advanced Research Center (BARC). The handles included a fixed plastic handle (P), spring and Sorbothane (T) handle, and 3 spring dampened handles (CS, CA, Y). The results showed that the spring dampened bucking bars handles reduced the vibration by 45% for mechanic 1 and by 16% for mechanic 2 compared to the P handle.